Why is it scary? Isn't it natural for children to not worry about their future too much at that age? It is important yes, and it is being emphasized to the kids. However, they aren't naturally interested in their future at that age, and you can't artificially try to make them become sincerely interested in it. There are exceptions, of course. There are kids at age of 8 who tell that they will become pilots, and want to learn French at age of 10. And there are kids who say at age of 13 that they will become translators, and will take optional English classes because of that. But the majority is not like that, and it is fine.
I think the natural curiosity and will to learn(for example by motivating the kids to study, making school and studying as fun as possible etc.) is far more important than planning your futre as a minor, let alone trying to aim for a career as a minor. I'm talking about whole classes of students from various backgrounds and performances, not just the top 5 % performers of which most will attend universities and achieve great things. I'd guess many HN'ers fell to the better half of the average performance at school, and as such might easily miss the other half who did not do so well.