SpaceX hires boy, 14, who became youngest graduate at California university

Re:SpaceX hires boy, 14, who became youngest graduate at Cal... by constantcrying on Saturday June 17, 2023 @11:32AM (#36371094)

I hope that at the very least his parents encourage him to participate in non-technical activities with kids his age, e.g. sports, musics, chess.

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Re:SpaceX hires boy, 14, who became youngest graduate at Cal... by s1artibartfast on Saturday June 17, 2023 @11:43AM (#36371193)

I hope he has a non technical life too. I just don't assume that he would enjoy that interaction with other 14 year-olds. If he is used to studying and now working with adults, he might find them childish, boring, and unrelatable.

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Re:SpaceX hires boy, 14, who became youngest graduate at Cal... by constantcrying on Saturday June 17, 2023 @12:08PM (#36371472)

I have friends who have very different careers with very little technical expertise. Why can't he?

The point is that he is not talking to them about engineering, but sports, videogames or music.

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Re:SpaceX hires boy, 14, who became youngest graduate at Cal... by jasode on Saturday June 17, 2023 @12:21PM (#36371607)

>I have friends who have very different careers with very little technical expertise. Why can't he?

Because people are different.

I started working at my first job at age 15 at a fast food restaurant.

I didn't get an allowance from my parents so earning my own money at a job felt really good. Working at that minimum-wage job was more important to me than hanging out with my high school friends. I was trying to save up for a guitar and hanging out with my buddies wasn't going to accomplish that. Also, being able to buy a new record from a band without pestering my mom for the money felt good too.

But I'm not recommending that other 15 or 14 year olds get jobs. I'm just saying that it's not some punishing psychological trauma for a high-school kid to work at a job if he really wants to do that. On a farm, the 10-year olds and 12-year olds running the tractor for the first time are doing far more arduous work than I did mopping floors and flipping burgers.

I don't know the subject of the story but if he really wants to work at SpaceX, that seems like a very reasonable path. There are already protective child-labor laws in California that regulate things like max hours a week. E.g. It already covers Hollywood children acting in movies and tv studios, etc.

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Re:SpaceX hires boy, 14, who became youngest graduate at Cal... by s1artibartfast on Saturday June 17, 2023 @12:52PM (#36371964)

I agree with having diverse friends and non-technical interests. What I was reacting to is the idea that he should associate with other 14 year olds. It is possible that he would find their behavior juvenile, the way you or I would if we had to hang out with 14 year olds.

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