Re:The most important thing (imho) (Score 1)

I think the most important thing we can teach our boys is how to talk to girls.

The most important thing we can teach our girls is how to not be distracted by boys.

If you're a guy reading this, you probably relate to the first one. If you have a teenage daughter, you probably relate to the second.

As for programming... well... by the time they're out of college, there won't be any programming jobs left in the western world (ooooh... there's a flame challenge right there).

... but you'll always need someone to look after systems (unless it all goes remote off-shore). So buy them an Apache book, disguise it with stories of cowboys and indians (to keep the girls interest (sheesh)) and maybe they'll have a future.

Alternatively, get them into a proper job like law or medicine. The world will always need doctors, and doctors are only human, so the world will always need lawyers.

Grumpy.