a) not everyone's interested in what we do
b) throwing someone in the "deep end" is a sure way to turn them off
c) youth, by definition, is wasted. If it wasn't, we probably wouldn't be as productive as we are now
Some people take a liking to this naturally no matter what their entrance vector- this is rare. More stumble into it with some surface-level interaction, and think, "This is neat, I'd like to learn more." Most don't want to get into it all... and personally, that's job security for you and me
, so don't knock it.
Personally I think sticking your "average" kid with a low-grade 10 year old computer is a sure way to turn them off to both programming/system-administration and computers in general. There's too many other "cool" distractions for them to blow their time on.
My whole introduction to this 'world' was Disney World. I was fortunate enough as a kid to live a few miles away, and when it was still relatively inexpensive to go. Seeing all the robotic stuff and fantasy, I thought, "How'd they do it?" Once a kid becomes interested in how it works... watch out!