I would agree that telling them to choose software engineering is the last thing you want to do. Instead I would suggest you tell them about how computers touch the lives of everyone on the planet, from research to pacemakers, from entertainment to manufacturing. And show them that computers have become so pervasive, in so many things, understanding a bit about how they work and especially about how they are programmed, will be helpful in what ever career they pursue.<p>Software engineering is the process by which a computer is enabled as a force multiplier in your quest to achieve your objectives and goals, stay focused on the goals. The ones that find software engineering interesting will continue on in that.<p>As a point of reference, none of my daughters wanted to be software engineers but they all appreciate that working in their fields of interest (physics, biology, and literature) requires they understand how computers are programmed.