Science and computing are fun, and for kids, struggling to get a decent job in todays economy, offer a huge help.
Most should realize the worl's economy is "rebalancing' globally. Meaning rapid change is coming. Its inevitable. We all need to understand the world around us. To be relevant. But things have become reachable due to the democratizing effects of technology.

I am especially thinking of the resources made available by Unix-like operating systems and software. Which is a gateway drug to science and math literacy. I was just reading a book, that made me realize how hard it was for me growing up poor, to stay positive. Back then it was very hard for any kind without a lot of family support (read money) to get started in the world of work. Its even worse now. But there is one thing thats available now that wasnt around then that can make all the difference. Of course I am talking about the Internet and the world of free and open source software. This software is completely free. Because of the totally wrong brainwashing of people to only want the newest, expensive hardware and software, lots of perfectly good, working computer stuff is thrown away every day, this makes it fairly easy for any kid to buy or scavenge a free or almost free computer, and load it with a free OS, and free and open source software, and explore whole new worlds.

I highly recommend the fairly new, tiny, inexpensive credit card sized raspberry Pi" computer and the huge number of resources which are professionally made for it. I have been following the project from its very beginning back in 2011 and have been using the tiny little Unix computers all around my house incountless projects of all kinds. The Raspberry Pi is intended to be versatile, inexpensive, to use and I can't think of any "posession" that could be more of a "swiss army knife" capable of being used to make more other things that one could use to solve problems of all kinds. useful in making almost everything that can be made with computers. Using RPI's with their fast GPIOs any electronic engineer will tell you that you can actually emulate almost any electromechanical or electronic device made. Even insanely complicated devices of yesteryear. Replace a whole rack of equipment that requires hundreds of watts to run. Save tons of money on electricity. It is a real computer in every way. Its CPU is 64 bits so can address terabytes of memory. It runs on 5 volts at 3 amps power. Thats a tiny fraction of the power this used to take. .

Really, today's world is one with amazing opportunities for the creative, if you simply devote your free time to learning new skills. Instead of wasting it. The younger someone is when they start learning, the further one can get while they are still in public school. (the free kind) The nonprofit UK Raspberry Pi Foundation has a huge ecosystem of free learning materials, including several nicely designed glossy magazines that are literally loaded with creative ideas and recipes aimed towards smart young people and kids.

Unix is the operating system used by a great many of today's scientists Thanks to Linux, and the BSDs its free.. And its incredibly stable, meaning robust. Reliable. More so than Windows, I think. Linux computers just run and run without any problems. Many have run reliably for decades without needing a single reboot.

In the last few years news of the Raspberry Pi has gotten out into the world of industrial computing. There is now a global shortage of Raspberry Pis. Many of them are being used in factories, etc. Even in scientific computing.

Consider this: Raw Computing power that would have cost you literally more than a million US dollars 30 years ago (and required hundreds of watts of power basically using a stand up freezer to cool) is now available for $35 today, runs off a cell phone charger and fits in your shirt pocket. You can use that power to do cutting edge, real science. SO why not do exactly that? Don't let fear hold you back. Do it. If you want my help, message me. I have done this professionally and can likely help you. Pointing you to what you need to turn your interests into something you can use .

What this means is that regular people can leverage an interest in dong something, and new computing skills into viable careers that can feed you and your family, Or create jobs. in the "real world". Good jobs.

If you can do stuff and show it working, that counts for a lot. Doors open for you. Everybody has stories about hiring college grads fresh out of college and them not knowing basic things, and screwing up because they made some really stupid mistake. This happens all the time. You would be surprised how often.

Practical skills one can demonstrate they know well can often be more valuable even than anything else soon. Start new businesses. Virtually all the fastest growing and highest valued new businesses in today's world started exactly like this. What I am describing to you right now. I saw it happen right before my very eyes.

Learning by doing is the most durable kind of learning. People forget most other kinds of learning fairly rapidly. And its fun. Learning is fun, solving problems is a lot more fun.

There are still careers where almost everybody is self taught. Because they are so new. Colleges cant find teachers. There just arent many people who know them, and they are busy, doing them, not teaching them.

These fields move so fast that that if you go on a vacation for a few weeks, your field is going to change a lot while you are gone.

Really.