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We scout the future LeBrons of tech

3 points by blopeur 5y ago

onion2k 5y ago
scouting teenage tech prodigies and whiz kids Is there much evidence that someone who was great at tech as a teenager goes on to be good at tech in a career? Some do, of course, but some flame out too (especially given the pressure of being labelled 'gifted' or a 'prodigy'). It'd be interesting to see if this business lifts up some kids and turns them into amazing engineers and founders, or if it piles on more pressure and causes fewer of them to go on to great careers.
- fnordpiglet 5y ago
  I was one of those kids 30 years ago. I’ve had a great career but I wouldn’t now hire myself as I was back then and would prefer 1 seasoned engineer over a team of me’s.
disintegore 5y ago
I'm asking myself why it's pertinent for an employer to know that their prospects are very, very young and I cannot think of any answer that isn't nefarious in nature. Especially seeing as this is popping up in the middle of a fairly large and seemingly effective labor advocacy movement. Beyond that, the premise seems flawed. Engineers do not function like athletes. They do not need to be prepared early for a peak that will occur in their twenties and may not last very long. Their performance cannot be easily plotted on a graph or measured deterministically and that's not for a lack of executives trying to do so for decades now. As far as I am concerned a sufficiently talented and motivated tech sector employee can achieve "LeBron" level distinction in their field even if they start in their thirties. I wish all the best for the teenagers involved, and I deeply hope that nobody exploits their potential lack of life or professional experience.
- Eridrus 5y ago
  I think this startup is the result of a tight labor market making employers look for less credentialed candidates, a general skepticism of credentials in the tech sector, and society's general fascination with "whiz kids". Similar to the Thiel Fellowship, but with a profit motive instead of a philanthropic one. I also think it indicates our education systems' general inability to handle kids who are significantly outside the norm, leading them to pursue their education outside of them. IMO these things that get kids to skip college is neither good nor bad, but depend a lot on these kids aspirations; if they want to go work in research, then that pipeline is still very much interested in credentials and a body of work (which is unsurprising, given how competitive it is), but if these kids are more interested in the engineering side of things in industry, then this is probably good for them. Though it's worth caveating that immigration systems are still exceptionally interested in credentials, so you can only really skip them if you're in the US already.
colesantiago 5y ago
As long as the kids are fine with it, then good. Almost all ambitious teenager wants to make money at some point. In fact this is the sort of thing that should have existed a long time ago. If employers don’t want to hire teenagers at a junior level, they certainly can’t hire a teenager at a senior level at a FAANG company, they would already be starting their own company, should they leave.

3 points by blopeur 5y ago

scouting teenage tech prodigies and whiz kids Is there much evidence that someone who was great at tech as a teenager goes on to be good at tech in a career? Some do, of course, but some flame out too (especially given the pressure of being labelled 'gifted' or a 'prodigy'). It'd be interesting to see if this business lifts up some kids and turns them into amazing engineers and founders, or if it piles on more pressure and causes fewer of them to go on to great careers.

fnordpiglet 5y ago
I was one of those kids 30 years ago. I’ve had a great career but I wouldn’t now hire myself as I was back then and would prefer 1 seasoned engineer over a team of me’s.

disintegore 5y ago

I'm asking myself why it's pertinent for an employer to know that their prospects are very, very young and I cannot think of any answer that isn't nefarious in nature. Especially seeing as this is popping up in the middle of a fairly large and seemingly effective labor advocacy movement. Beyond that, the premise seems flawed. Engineers do not function like athletes. They do not need to be prepared early for a peak that will occur in their twenties and may not last very long. Their performance cannot be easily plotted on a graph or measured deterministically and that's not for a lack of executives trying to do so for decades now. As far as I am concerned a sufficiently talented and motivated tech sector employee can achieve "LeBron" level distinction in their field even if they start in their thirties. I wish all the best for the teenagers involved, and I deeply hope that nobody exploits their potential lack of life or professional experience.

Eridrus 5y ago
I think this startup is the result of a tight labor market making employers look for less credentialed candidates, a general skepticism of credentials in the tech sector, and society's general fascination with "whiz kids". Similar to the Thiel Fellowship, but with a profit motive instead of a philanthropic one. I also think it indicates our education systems' general inability to handle kids who are significantly outside the norm, leading them to pursue their education outside of them. IMO these things that get kids to skip college is neither good nor bad, but depend a lot on these kids aspirations; if they want to go work in research, then that pipeline is still very much interested in credentials and a body of work (which is unsurprising, given how competitive it is), but if these kids are more interested in the engineering side of things in industry, then this is probably good for them. Though it's worth caveating that immigration systems are still exceptionally interested in credentials, so you can only really skip them if you're in the US already.

colesantiago 5y ago

As long as the kids are fine with it, then good. Almost all ambitious teenager wants to make money at some point. In fact this is the sort of thing that should have existed a long time ago. If employers don’t want to hire teenagers at a junior level, they certainly can’t hire a teenager at a senior level at a FAANG company, they would already be starting their own company, should they leave.