I agree with Marco in saying it should be optional.
Even though it's set in stone, allow me to present a scenario: A draft. What if a coder is summoned to the army? Here in Norway, when your 18 you can get summoned for a whole year of military training at a base somewhere where its even colder than down in southern Norway where I am.
Luckily they didn't make me go 
I know I would hate to come back, ready to resume coding, then find that some random person took over my hack