When people ask, "how do I get my daughter _interested_ in computers?", they often mean:
- "interested" == "find joy/play/fun"
But Elaine's essay is answering it by interpreting "interested" this way:
- "interested" == "understand and value the practical business work skills"
Using substitution, Elaine interprets the question as: "how do I get my daughter to understand and value the practical business work skills in computers?"
It doesn't mean Elaine's perspective is not valid. However, we have to be aware that she's not addressing what many people mean by being "interested".
If they ever find the interest on their own, they'll ask.
All of this to say it may help to go into their world instead of them coming into yours. Find interesting problems or challenges they are having and show them you can help. Sometimes my being able to do something with programming will get the, "Whoa, how did you do that?!" Response. I don't expect my kids to actually write code right now but they do know that programming is voodoo magic and they are very interested in it.
I think I was quite naturally inclined to it, though, just like many other girls and boys. If you give your child opportunities to get involved, and they're not interested, it might be a sign that this is not their calling. Perhaps give them opportunities to get involved in something else, and see what naturally grabs them. This is more likely to help them maximize their talents.
"Whatever you do, son, don't read this Calculus textbook. And you are not allowed to eat these vegetables."
Whether young or old, I think it's important that the person start by asking themselves what they would like a computer to do for them. From there, you can start to bite off small pieces of the challenge, slowly making progress towards something they actually care about.
The statement - "Nobody becomes a software engineer because they love writing code" - is definitely wrong and it's a bit sad that the author isn't enjoying the magical act of crafting complex machinery out of nothing.
A lot of people enjoy exactly that, and don't really care for the end-product, although I have to say that really good programmers enjoy coding as much as they are interested in the goal.
Fantastic!