nostr:npub1356t6fpjysx9vdchfg7mryv83w4pcye6a3eeke9zvsje7s2tuv4s4k805u if nostr has taught me one thing is that the devs and builders here value proof-of-work.
I am sure there is value in whatever path is chosen in the options that your son has in front of him.
That said proof-of-work, in the open, that is verifiable can only better help arm your son with real-world experience.
There are plenty of open source projects your son can pick up. The most important thing is to find something he cares about enough to contribute to.
Here is a contributing to FOSS article I wrote a while back. I wrote the article with non-devs/product people in mind. The core principle of contributing without permission can be applied to devs. I'd even go a step further to say that overall devs are better suited to jump into FOSS contributions right away.
nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzq96n3hp2vfmf6z2y8uvvxl97xk86kkalnqghx4p25lzl79c76a7yqq2nx3zlvaznvanp2su5km2nxuex5t2nwcmxk88864d
https://nostr.at/naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzq96n3hp2vfmf6z2y8uvvxl97xk86kkalnqghx4p25lzl79c76a7yqq2nx3zlvaznvanp2su5km2nxuex5t2nwcmxk88864d