Take Advantage of Your Age

From what I have seen, as you grow older, the expectations from you grow exponentially and it gets harder and harder to impress people.

If you are a 3rd year CS student and have built your first web app and posted it on socials, it will not be a big deal because the curriculum teaches you a lot of the parts for it.

But as a high schooler, you still have the ability to grasp some of the concepts, and even with a relatively simpler web app you would be able to impress people and attract attention.

Age bias is real. People want to support young minds who show initiative. Doing things earlier on doesn't mean you are smarter. It just showcases another important skill: that you take initiative, go beyond what everybody is taking, and chart your own path. I think that's the thing that really impresses people.

I think that's how people get into top tier colleges. They are doing things that 99% of other kids are not doing. 99% of kids are fine sticking with the curriculum. If you start going even a little above and beyond what you are expected to do, you can impress people and get your foot in the door early.

I got my first tech job even though I tanked a couple of the interview questions, because I tried really hard and showed a lot of drive and initiative.

Similarly, I jumped into doing my own startup full time as a 21 year old. I am no 18 year old anymore, but still most people are just graduating or in college at 21. It's not like I have built Facebook, but I am doing something that people usually do later in life. Showing initiative early and doing unconventional things impresses people. They take notice, you make valuable connections, and that leads to interesting future opportunities.

Cover: Photo by Marieke Koenders on Unsplash — source