True but then we need to treat programming as a trade.
Why do a lot of HN commentators fetishize "trade" skills when they have no real idea what they are talking about.
Possibly if your going to target a CS/EE degree you should have bean learning to code from 13 or 14 - in the UK you wont get to study Physics if you haven't specialised in physics and maths at the GCSE and A level.