The best programmers I know broke away from the herd very quickly. (By 4th grade?) It seems very hard to break out if it was curiosity, parental encouragement

The best programmers I know broke away from the herd very quickly. (By 4th grade?) It seems very hard to break out if it was curiosity, parental encouragement, or genetic ability. I am certain that #1 is the biggest driver, and #2 was involved. I suspect #3 is too, but not as much as we give it credit for. The breakout programmers did it day and night because they loved it, and quickly expanded on whatever initial advantage they had.