Advice for Future Programmers?
I have a buddy that is going to be giving some presentations to high-schoolers.  Specifically he asked:

 - What would you be looking for if they
   approached you about work?
 - Perhaps you are in that age group
   right now.  What do you want to know?
 - Perhaps you are just a few years into
   the workforce.  What do you wish
   someone had told you but never did?
 - Perhaps you have children, relatives
   or friends in or soon to be in that
   age group.  What are you worried they
   don't know about?
 - I'm sure there are other perspectives
   and questions I'm not even thinking
   about.  I'd like to hear what you
   have to say about it.

Here was my list:

 * Don't be afraid to try! Don't let the
   perception that something is too
   difficult stop you from
   experimenting.
 * Curiosity may have killed the cat, but an un-inquisitive person is
   mostly useless.
 * Stolen from Einstein: You don't really understand something until you
   can explain it to your grandmother.
 * It's never enough to be smart, you also have to work well with
   others.
 * Before you can be really smart, you must learn how to learn.
 * There will always be someone smarter than you are -- Become their
   buddy! Get to know great minds and
   learn all you can.  Some knowledge
   can only be expressed this way.
 * Communication, Communication, Communication!  Projects rarely fail
   because of technical reasons and the
   difference between good programmers
   and outstanding programmers is how
   well they communicate.
 * A good work ethic never goes unnoticed.
 * Know when to ask for help and when to figure something out for
   yourself.
Advice for Future Programmers?
===

I have a buddy that is going to be giving some presentations to high-schoolers.  Specifically he asked:

 - What would you be looking for if they
   approached you about work?
 - Perhaps you are in that age group
   right now.  What do you want to know?
 - Perhaps you are just a few years into
   the workforce.  What do you wish
   someone had told you but never did?
 - Perhaps you have children, relatives
   or friends in or soon to be in that
   age group.  What are you worried they
   don't know about?
 - I'm sure there are other perspectives
   and questions I'm not even thinking
   about.  I'd like to hear what you
   have to say about it.

Here was my list:

 * Don't be afraid to try! Don't let the
   perception that something is too
   difficult stop you from
   experimenting.
 * Curiosity may have killed the cat, but an un-inquisitive person is
   mostly useless.
 * Stolen from Einstein: You don't really understand something until you
   can explain it to your grandmother.
 * It's never enough to be smart, you also have to work well with
   others.
 * Before you can be really smart, you must learn how to learn.
 * There will always be someone smarter than you are -- Become their
   buddy! Get to know great minds and
   learn all you can.  Some knowledge
   can only be expressed this way.
 * Communication, Communication, Communication!  Projects rarely fail
   because of technical reasons and the
   difference between good programmers
   and outstanding programmers is how
   well they communicate.
 * A good work ethic never goes unnoticed.
 * Know when to ask for help and when to figure something out for
   yourself.