You should try some "real" hacking some time! That is, the kind the scary-looking criminals do, but for good (or simply fun). CTFs are probably the best way to

You should try some "real" hacking some time! That is, the kind the scary-looking criminals do, but for good (or simply fun). CTFs are probably the best way to get started -- check out PicoCTF, one specifically for high schoolers. The starting challenges might be easy for someone with programming knowledge, but the higher-pointed ones require some real domain-specific knowledge ;)