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Implore HN: Celebrate and encourage young developers who post here

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Re: Implore HN: Celebrate and encourage young developers who post here

#31

Post by rquantz »

ddunkin wrote: post #10
anu_gupta wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but if we treat them differently because of age So, to set up some obvious strawmen, you're ok with child labour? Or child soldiers? You're against laws preventing children from working more than x hours a week, or the age of consent? Of course we treat them differently because of age. They haven't had the time or the exposure to "toughen" them up - and (based on my own life), at that age they're quite possibly shy…

Law does not apply here and I didn't know we were discussing anything legal. Back to the context here, I am talking about the point of posting an app to HN. The goal is for feedback, if you want clear focused feedback, you need a focused post. The extra detail only bring the entire thread off-topic, as has been proven here multiple times.

But you give a teenage beginner different feedback than a seasoned professional.

Re: Implore HN: Celebrate and encourage young developers who post here

#32

Post by danilocampos »

qzxt wrote: post #30

If this is in relation to http://vishnumenon.com/2013/01/21/im-35-months-old-and-i-mad... then I think you miss the point. I agree with the author of that and it is the most common sense post I've read, so far, regarding this issue. The reality is people posting their age doesn't simply mean "I am new at this. I know you guys aren't. I want you to check it out and give me encouragement and guidance." Simultaneously t…

That essay called mentioning age "manipulative," which is easily the most jackasstic thing I've seen on the subject. Whatever valid point might have been there was lost in the cold dismissiveness of the author's attitude.

Re: Implore HN: Celebrate and encourage young developers who post here

#33

Post by qzxt »

danilocampos wrote: post #32
qzxt wrote: post #30

If this is in relation to http://vishnumenon.com/2013/01/21/im-35-months-old-and-i-mad... then I think you miss the point. I agree with the author of that and it is the most common sense post I've read, so far, regarding this issue. The reality is people posting their age doesn't simply mean "I am new at this. I know you guys aren't. I want you to check it out and give me encouragement and guidance." Simultaneously t…

That essay called mentioning age "manipulative," which is easily the most jackasstic thing I've seen on the subject. Whatever valid point might have been there was lost in the cold dismissiveness of the author's attitude.

So is your point that he was incorrect in stating that a lot of people post their age in order to get to the front page or that calling that action manipulative is wrong? The thesis of the post seemed to me to be if you make a product, focus on making the product better and everything else falls into place. Very fair bit of advice if you ask me. Furthermore, it states another related thing which is, how are you going to get any actual feedback when all the comments are either calling you an asshole or rallying around you, singing war cries. Now with regard to posting age, that's actually very variable why people do that, and from an objective standpoint I don't find anything wrong with that. However if what you're after is guidance then it's pretty obvious posting your age isn't going to get you much of that.

Re: Implore HN: Celebrate and encourage young developers who post here

#34

Post by joshmlewis »

danilocampos wrote: post #7
joshmlewis wrote: post #3

I'm 19, and I can give credit to a couple forums (The Web Squeeze and Forrst) and Hacker News for making me successful. If it weren't for a handful of people out of the buckets of everyone, I wouldn't have had the encouragement or motivation to be where I am today. I skipped college, and am cofounding my second company now and leading a team of talented people. I would have never guessed I'd be doing that..even two y…

Wow, mazal tov! This my favorite story I've read here. Congratulations on skipping college and getting right into the meat of your career.

Thank you! I've written one blog post about my experience a few months out of high school, and I need to do a follow up with almost two years out now. My new company is launching in March and I'm super excited about it. Hopefully I'll have an even more interesting story to tell after that.

Re: Implore HN: Celebrate and encourage young developers who post here

#35

Post by vishnumenon »

As the author of the "ugly and short-sighted essay" in question, I want to just mention that I meant no hard feelings to anyone of any age, and tried hard to critique the behavior, not the person, Sorry if it came across as ugly. However, I stand by my opinion. I believe that there are plenty of other places these teens can go for blanket approval and yes-men, such as friends and family. HN is, to me, reserved for unbiased and fair commentary. As an aside, I think everyone's post should be considered carefully and encouraged; however, it shouldn't be based on age. Also, in response to those who raised comments about how Mozart's age was relevant to his accomplishments, I must say that in our day and age, teens making apps is hardly that noteworthy anymore. Yes, it is impressive, but not exceptionally so.

Lastly, why exactly was my original post killed? What happened to it? I may not understand HN fully, but I thought something that fostered a good discussion would be kept. I can't even find the post anymore! Would it have stayed up if I had said I was 16?

Re: Implore HN: Celebrate and encourage young developers who post here

#38

Post by gfodor »

joshmlewis wrote: post #3

I'm 19, and I can give credit to a couple forums (The Web Squeeze and Forrst) and Hacker News for making me successful. If it weren't for a handful of people out of the buckets of everyone, I wouldn't have had the encouragement or motivation to be where I am today. I skipped college, and am cofounding my second company now and leading a team of talented people. I would have never guessed I'd be doing that..even two y…

Congrats on your success. One piece of advice: you can further reduce the chance that you have blind spots due to your skipping of college (which you almost certainly do) by slicing off some time to go through Coursera classes, particularly ones that are a bit far afield and seem like a waste of time. People your age are so damn lucky :)

The thing about college is it forces exposure to stuff you'd never see otherwise. A lot of it is irreplaceable but more and more of it is thanks to sites like these.

Re: Implore HN: Celebrate and encourage young developers who post here

#39

Post by jdotjdot »

rquantz wrote: post #31
ddunkin wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Law does not apply here and I didn't know we were discussing anything legal. Back to the context here, I am talking about the point of posting an app to HN. The goal is for feedback, if you want clear focused feedback, you need a focused post. The extra detail only bring the entire thread off-topic, as has been proven here multiple times.

But you give a teenage beginner different feedback than a seasoned professional.

This is very true. I think a lot of this comes down to, no matter the technical expertise of the person, the fact that when you're very young, you lack some life experience and are in a different place with different needs than older professionals. That's not to say it makes them less legitimate or that they should be gone easier upon, but it definitely affects the advice. A 15 year old is thinking about college, a 45 year old is worries more about supporting his family, and those factors very much affect the situation.

Re: Implore HN: Celebrate and encourage young developers who post here

#40

Post by gfodor »

devonbarrett wrote: post #17
kappaloris wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it relates to experience which in turn relates to ability. someone who is 32yo has had the opportunity to gather at least double your experience. so being young does have a meaning in 'scaling down' what is expected from you, at least as long we're posting on a friendly news website.

I agree with experience being fundamental to ability, but being a teenager does not mean that you have not had experience(albeit not all real world). For instance, a computer science graduate who is 23 and has only been programming while at university has four years experience. However, I have been programming since I was eight years old, and as a result have nine years experience. I am not trying to say that I have…

There are things in life you can fast track via focus and age is not really a factor as much as ability and discipline. There are other things that just take time and living through things. A lot of what produces success is a combination of both.
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