Re:You're Young. I'm 18. So what?
by conradev on Saturday September 15, 2012 @10:03AM
(#4526084)
I can't agree more with the contents of this article. It's important to abstract age away from how you represent yourself, for a number of reasons.
Age automatically restricts your opportunities. I have gotten a number of serious job offers from reputable companies, and none of them were aware of my age. While a lot of people in the startup industry are not age-biased, I have a feeling that if my age were advertised on my profiles, these opportunities would not have been extended to me. When I asked around for a summer internship this past summer, my boss said he had not realized how old I was, at first, when he extended the offer. I have found that it is much more difficult to prove your worth as an engineer when you are underage and self-taught. This is why you need to work on personal projects, and finish them.
Also, while I have not experienced this firsthand, some people are not as nice as you would like to think. If they realize you are "just a kid", they might feel it appropriate to lowball you or cheat work out of you. It's despicable, but I'm sure it happens.
The advice in the article suggests that you attend conferences. I would generalize this. Network with your local community, as well as the global community that you come in contact with at conferences. Hailing from the wonderful land of Philadelphia, I am an active member and occasional speaker in PhillyCocoa, the Philadelphia CocoaHeads chapter. I also was a member of Venturef0rth this summer, a rising incubator space. I plan to attend a hackathon when I have time (I'm missing one at UPenn as I speak :p ). At these places and more, I have met a slew of awesome people, from whom I have learned innumerable things.
That's not to downplay conferences, either, as an attendee of The Last HOPE, DEFCON 19, Google I/O '12, HOPE9 and others. The thing about conferences is that they do cost money (including travel and lodging), and not everyone can afford to attend them.
Age automatically restricts your opportunities. I have gotten a number of serious job offers from reputable companies, and none of them were aware of my age. While a lot of people in the startup industry are not age-biased, I have a feeling that if my age were advertised on my profiles, these opportunities would not have been extended to me. When I asked around for a summer internship this past summer, my boss said he had not realized how old I was, at first, when he extended the offer. I have found that it is much more difficult to prove your worth as an engineer when you are underage and self-taught. This is why you need to work on personal projects, and finish them.
Also, while I have not experienced this firsthand, some people are not as nice as you would like to think. If they realize you are "just a kid", they might feel it appropriate to lowball you or cheat work out of you. It's despicable, but I'm sure it happens.
The advice in the article suggests that you attend conferences. I would generalize this. Network with your local community, as well as the global community that you come in contact with at conferences. Hailing from the wonderful land of Philadelphia, I am an active member and occasional speaker in PhillyCocoa, the Philadelphia CocoaHeads chapter. I also was a member of Venturef0rth this summer, a rising incubator space. I plan to attend a hackathon when I have time (I'm missing one at UPenn as I speak :p ). At these places and more, I have met a slew of awesome people, from whom I have learned innumerable things.
That's not to downplay conferences, either, as an attendee of The Last HOPE, DEFCON 19, Google I/O '12, HOPE9 and others. The thing about conferences is that they do cost money (including travel and lodging), and not everyone can afford to attend them.
And because it's relevant, today I am turning 16.