So what have we learnt? Nothing, apart from dataker is lucky to be interested in one of the few fields left that pays well and is feeling pretty smug about it.
Who says dataker's interested? Maybe dataker just wanted to make more money and so chose CS. Or became interested after getting into the field. Why does your choice of major have to be something you're really interested in?
I think part of the issue is we keep selling high schoolers on the idea of "choose what you love", but in high school your breadth of experience is laughably small. Picking a major that would pay well and then approaching it with a good attitude would probably get one farther.
Isn't this statement the exact opposite of the "follow your dreams!" mentality usually espoused on HN?
We canonize those few that are lucky and successful and hold them up as examples, but if you follow their example and fail, well, "personal responsibility" and all.
After all, your life would have been easier if you had just gotten in line.
Coming from an impoverished family, I took CS as a way out of it. Eventually, I became interested, but not the other way around.