The idea that a "smart, talented programmer" should reshape their life and their interests around "hav[ing] an impact" and "contributing significantly to the biggest innovations of computing", to have "[their] chance" to get on "the rocket" before it "takes off", this is what I'm referring to. The idea that you're literally wasting your time if not working in certain fields: "machine learning, cryptocurrencies, immersive video games". Why do you assume that "impact" and "innovation" should be the driving interests of a young programmer's life? This is a cultural presumption, if not an ideological position.