[ArkyBeagle]

As anecdata, one daughter felt that pursuing computing wasn't socially acceptable ( she was a cheerleader and all ) and another felt the first instructor was an abject misogynist.

Perhaps women find better things to do :) I'm starting to think there is something wrong with those of us who pursue this.

[zigzigzag]

And was it men who made your daughter feel like computing wasn't socially acceptable? Or was it her female friends in the cheerleading squad?

[ArkyBeagle]

Yes. And it was her, her ... calculus of status.

[skookumchuck]

For another anecdata, when I grew up being into computers meant social rejection, from boys as well as girls. I still recall meeting women in nightclubs and when they ask what I do, I say programming, they shrink and look away. I learned to hide what I did for a living during initial encounters.

[ArkyBeagle]

I solved that problem by getting married in my musician phase :)

[facepalm]

Do people typically enter the field via an instructor/lessons?

[ArkyBeagle]

You have me at a loss- I'd say there are certainly alternatives. If I had to guess, I'd say most go that way, but that's purely a guess.

Good point though - neither of them tried to self-learn in high school.