to the young and ambitious: there is no rush to grow up

ngmi you're 19 and not a founder??

i used to be heavily involved in many discord and slack communities themed around self-starters and young technologists. by heavily involved i mean i probably spent my most formative, early adolescent years with members in these circles.

and many of these communities have pretty interesting underlying cultures. i think the most common amongst all is the desire to become a founder in tech.

its one of the most appealing status symbols a young, budding and maybe even a little naive individual could wish for. being a founder elicits appraisal and signals courage from taking the uncharted path. being a young founder sounds even better. it implies many things:

• potential for long-term impact

• success against odds (i.e. challenges of inexperience, limited resources, and lack of networks which all are typically increasing functions of age)

• fresh ideas (untainted by established norms)

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all these qualities seem promising and there is tremendous social capital behind the title of being a young founder in tech. but i think in many cases i think these are more perceived than they are actually present within posterchild(ren) who drive the culture.

my concern nowadays is the increasing prevalence of this young founder fantasy. i think its narrative is VERY dangerous in how it motivates many young people to learn how to play a game, which stunts their exploratory learning process through other walks of life.

(to be clear, i don't think there is anything inherently wrong with being a young founder. but i think young founders more often than not misplace their ambition in pursuing their title over their work)

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i think its brilliant if not predatory when organizations capitalize on this pipedream. i mean whats a better target consumer than a group of determined teenagers who are eager to "figure it all out now?" to feel safe and secure in their identity — their work —unbeknownst to the inherent nature of its impermeance during a highly transitory period of exploration that is adolescence.

unfortunately, uncertainty is not sexy. and its much more lucrative for an organization or influencer to pave a path — or to sell a rulebook to teach the attainment of "canonical success." but blindly adopting it as your sworn bible means missing the opportunity to define what success truly means for you.

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on that note above, i like to take note of patterns amongst my peers who were or are currently founders. and on behalf of those who have dropped out/taken gap years, plenty (surprisingly) have vocalized their desire to go back to college. which i find interesting because they were initially REALLY against going. so it really gets me thinking — of what do they believe in are actually their own beliefs?

they tell me they miss the social aspects — being able to fool around those around their age, exploring new creative outlets, pursing romantic relationships ... the list goes on! and i could also imagine the relief of not having to act overly-professional to compensate for a still-developing frontal lobe (only half joking on the latter).

and i believe that constantly surrounding yourself in overly-professional environments can force you to suppress your childlike traits, preventing them from developing and overcoming them naturally. and that over time, this repression can lead to those traits manifesting in eccentric behaviours.

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that being said, i don't think being a founder is necessarily the most effective vehicle to cultivate ambition for a young person. this applies not just to founders, but to anyone seeking prestigious positions early in their career. instead i advocate for having a healthier relationship with age — that being embracing the value of learning before stepping into positions of leadership.

personally, i think more of my friends would be happier learning the ropes at early stage startups — getting mentorship and working towards getting up to speed with a team. or working on a side project for an extended period of idle time.

there’s no rush to grow up. the experiences, lessons, and joys of youth are fleeting and irreplaceable. don’t let the allure of status or the pressure to achieve early success rob you of these precious years.

adieu,

evan