At the time it was mostly just fun for me, sounds like the situation is the same for him. I think it's a balance, you want to pursue your interests to the point where they show your ability, but also deal with enough of the BS required to get into good schools (like studying for the SATs or getting good grades in HS classes).

College is a great idea because it's entirely possible his interests will change in school (I almost switched majors like 3 times) and for everything other than programming, college is still a prerequisite.

Edit: Oh when I was 17 I also thought applicants were super prepared and it was intimidating. In reality most kids at elite schools didn't have a scary level of preparation, and a lot of those kids with perfect resumes never got in. Admissions are still a mystery to me.