[wturner]

Ask them why they want to learn it and insist they find something they are passionate about building as an end result. As far as really learning, tell them it will take 3-5 years of studying every day, building projects and adopting the process as a lifestyle. Most of the marketing shit around learning programming is fluff. BTW This is coming from one of the people you are speaking of who was (and still kind of is) a 'noob'. I just happen to have a technical background outside of code to help ramp me up. Other than that tell them to try it out and see if they like it. The learning curve will inevitably make you cry. But after you reach a certain point you can begin getting really creative which is very very empowering! This takes muscle memory and imbuing yourself in the culture, concepts and tools.