Can't agree with you more. Confidence that I could program came from being exposed to programming on Apple IIs and the Casio FX-702P. Being taught some simple

Can't agree with you more. Confidence that I could program came from being exposed to programming on Apple IIs and the Casio FX-702P. Being taught some simple graphing with BASIC in class laid the groundwork. Later came watching others create things, then trying out my own ideas in BASIC, failing, and then trying again. This should be applied to other important fields as well -- for example a medical-themed biology class I took as a kid helped me understand that being a doctor was attainable (but not for me).