The thing the girl said reminded me of my little nieces and nephews. They are in either Highschool or jr high, whenever I've asked them what they want to study, or do in life they just say "something easy". By easy it doesn't mean not challenging or that requires no effort, it means that they are certain they're going to pass, that's all they care about. And since they haven't experimented/looked in other fields, for fear of failing, they are also not sure what they want to do at all. When I talk to their mother, she just wants them to be teachers like her, because she could probably get them a job.

So yeah, it is pretty harmful. Let them fail.