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This teenager is hot property in Silicon Valley

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Re: This teenager is hot property in Silicon Valley

#11

Post by sudonim »

DontBeTaken wrote: post #8

As a 17 year old, this makes me feel under accomplished. While I do have skills in regards to computery things, I'm hitting a block when it comes to developing backends to sites. I know HTML and CSS decently but programming languages that I'd need to learn just seem to bounce off. On the plus side, I'm good at other things too, like photography / producing electronic music (no Madeon though. He makes me feel under ac…

I'm 30. If I can give you advice to live by: don't measure yourself by others' accomplishments. If you focus on what other people have done, you'll end up chasing your tail trying to compete with an idealized notion of 20 different people. Blaze your own trail. Find the things you do well and double down on them. You'll get to where you want to be. It may not be by 18, so don't be impatient. Just keep doing the things that make you a better person and ideally happy and you'll care less about doing X by age Y.

Re: This teenager is hot property in Silicon Valley

#13

Post by petitmiam »

davidjohnstone wrote: post #10

Would you consider staying in Australia? I suppose the startup scene here is nothing like it is in Silicon Valley/New York/etc., but it's not non-existent either.

I was wondering this too. It's a shame to lose talent.

"“Australia has nothing like San Francisco, and Silicon Valley. The tech culture there is insane. The demand for skilled workers is incredible. The creativity and innovation is incredible. It's infectious,” he says."

Re: This teenager is hot property in Silicon Valley

#15

Post by dobetaken »

DontBeTaken wrote: post #8

As a 17 year old, this makes me feel under accomplished. While I do have skills in regards to computery things, I'm hitting a block when it comes to developing backends to sites. I know HTML and CSS decently but programming languages that I'd need to learn just seem to bounce off. On the plus side, I'm good at other things too, like photography / producing electronic music (no Madeon though. He makes me feel under ac…

(Throaway so I can be more candid)

I'm approaching 21 in a few weeks and I've been making 6 figures since 19, I could have articles written about me but I choose to remain relatively quiet about my "success", millions of people use the things that I produce. My advice to you would be just do it, just do whatever it is you want. It's probably unique to each individual but I personally find that when someone tweets about my products or the things that I have produced it's the greatest feeling in the world, but when someone says "whoa you're 20 and you've done that?!" it's so hollow. Imagine your achievements being talked about because of your age? The internet is not discriminatory towards age, you can be 15 or 90 and achieve great things, why have them trivialized by an uncontrollable personal attribute.

As an aside I am also a poor programmer, although I can do everything I need to I am not a "rockstar" like a large portion of HNers would lead you to believe you need to be, but you don't, what matters is that you actually do stuff. Sit down, write code and maybe you'll achieve something great, but if you spend your time lamenting about how it's never going to happen then it never will.

Re: This teenager is hot property in Silicon Valley

#16

Post by DontBeTaken »

sudonim wrote: post #11
DontBeTaken wrote: post #8

As a 17 year old, this makes me feel under accomplished. While I do have skills in regards to computery things, I'm hitting a block when it comes to developing backends to sites. I know HTML and CSS decently but programming languages that I'd need to learn just seem to bounce off. On the plus side, I'm good at other things too, like photography / producing electronic music (no Madeon though. He makes me feel under ac…

I'm 30. If I can give you advice to live by: don't measure yourself by others' accomplishments. If you focus on what other people have done, you'll end up chasing your tail trying to compete with an idealized notion of 20 different people. Blaze your own trail. Find the things you do well and double down on them. You'll get to where you want to be. It may not be by 18, so don't be impatient. Just keep doing the thing…

Hm, that does make sense. I see what you're saying. Thanks for the advice. I think I'll try to blaze my own trail. Though it seems kind of hard. There's lots of external pressure. Mainly having to do with college. Then again, focusing on what other people have done is sort of a way of putting pressure on myself so steering clear of that will help. Being a teenager is weird.

Re: This teenager is hot property in Silicon Valley

#17

Post by gmurphy »

papercruncher wrote: post #6
lachyg wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd love to apply for the O-1, but I'm not sure I'm ready yet. No other visas are suitable.

No idea what parent poster said (comment deleted), but if you want to work in the US, you can still try for an H1B visa. Your work experience and achievements can be used to demonstrate specialization in the field and serve as the equivalent of a college Bachelors degree. The quota was exhausted for this year, but assuming you are Australian you can shoot for an E3.

FWIW, H1Bs have run out until October 2013.

Lachy is Australian though, and could almost qualify for the E3, which is a far better visa (I'm still on it seven years on) though it still needs employer sponsorship and some level of university education, which makes it less than suitable for his case.

The dynamics of the H1B run-out will be interesting for Australian tech workers if it means US companies can only hire Canadians (TN) and Australians (E3) for the next 16 months.

Re: This teenager is hot property in Silicon Valley

#18

Post by 2muchcoffeeman »

petitmiam wrote: post #13
davidjohnstone wrote: post #10

Would you consider staying in Australia? I suppose the startup scene here is nothing like it is in Silicon Valley/New York/etc., but it's not non-existent either.

I was wondering this too. It's a shame to lose talent. "“Australia has nothing like San Francisco, and Silicon Valley. The tech culture there is insane. The demand for skilled workers is incredible. The creativity and innovation is incredible. It's infectious,” he says."

The competition might also be more fierce in the US and you don't need to be there to be successful. Maybe the lack competition could work in your favour?

Australia is also part of the Asia-Pacific region (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia-Pacific) which includes developing countries like China and India.

It'll be good experience to go to the US, but don't discount your local region.

Re: This teenager is hot property in Silicon Valley

#19

Post by petitmiam »

dobetaken wrote: post #15
DontBeTaken wrote: post #8

As a 17 year old, this makes me feel under accomplished. While I do have skills in regards to computery things, I'm hitting a block when it comes to developing backends to sites. I know HTML and CSS decently but programming languages that I'd need to learn just seem to bounce off. On the plus side, I'm good at other things too, like photography / producing electronic music (no Madeon though. He makes me feel under ac…

(Throaway so I can be more candid) I'm approaching 21 in a few weeks and I've been making 6 figures since 19, I could have articles written about me but I choose to remain relatively quiet about my "success", millions of people use the things that I produce. My advice to you would be just do it, just do whatever it is you want. It's probably unique to each individual but I personally find that when someone tweets abo…

Did you aim for the sky right from the beginning?

I guess you either had great people around you who told you you could do anything, or you just ignored the ones who said you couldn't.

Re: This teenager is hot property in Silicon Valley

#20

Post by lachyg »

davidjohnstone wrote: post #10

Would you consider staying in Australia? I suppose the startup scene here is nothing like it is in Silicon Valley/New York/etc., but it's not non-existent either.

I feel at home here in San Francisco. There are a multitude of companies I'd love to work for.
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