PoorDoggie: I recommend letting people see the posts without signing up. Just my opinion.
To address a few things so far ^_^
First, yes, teens are stereotyped over the internet. Honestly, I think it's a justified stereotype. For instance:
http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=23
Just spend a couple minutes and take a look around. It's hard to expect someone to respect you when "u type liek dis" - or in all capitals, or capitalize every other word, or show zero knowledge in the basics of english. Respect is a combination of someone respecting your ability, your image, your personality - if the majority of teens (and it problably is the majority) can't (or choose not to) type properly, what does that say about the image as a whole?
Thats not to say
all teens are like that. I avoided this forum like the plague till I decided to go exploring a bit. I was actually a bit shocked at how intelligent the posts here were. Most people here are problably the exception to the rule, though. So, while not all teens act, type, or are stupid, the majority (i.e. the
stereotype) - is that they do.
Okay I might as well make this post extra long ...
I strongly disaggree with that. First of all, a business created by a teen will almost
definitely fail. That doesn't really mean anything though. We're not involving any venture capitalists, banks, or loans of any other sorts. We're involving our own and each other's time, and maybe a few dollars from our pockets. One out of ten businesses fail within their first years, but
nobody gets it right the first time. (Okay maybe some lucky bastard.)
I've been studying "success" since I was about 14-15. I'm not personally going to go into business (even though it interests me,) I want to be a real estate investor. Even so, though, the skills you need to succeed in business, real estate, or anything really is pretty similar. (They're actually more values than skills.) It doesn't really matter who's success "theory" you listen to - Napolean Hill, Robert Kiyosaki, Steven Coffee, Anthony Robbins - it's mostly about the attitude. Not giving up is a basic.
In other words, just because you'll fall flat on your ass isn't a good reason not to try. If you'd succeed 1/10 times, all you need to do is try 10 times. (Of course it's not that simple - most people just try once and give up. A person that keeps trying and trying already has the right quality(s). A person who's failed a business 5 times is alot more likely to succeed than someone who's only tried once.)
And the school thing. (I love starting sentences with and ^_^) "Go to school, get good grades, go to a good college, get a good job?" Please. Getting a job with good "security" and good plans are a thing of the past. Companies don't last as long as they used to, job security is no security at all. The best security is the security to know that you have skills and knowledge that will let you survive in the real world. Real security is knowing that you can go into business, make nothing, and know you still have the graphic design and programming skills to feed yourself freelancing. Even better is knowing you have the skills to find a preforclosed house, purchase it and flip it in 3 months should your business fail.
A
degree is a piece of paper someone else gives value. It gives you the right to sell your time for someone else's money at a certain exchange rate. (10/hr, 30/hr, etc.) Don't work for someone else, have someone else work for you. Don't work for your money, have your money work for you. (Thats what investing is.) Have your brain work for yourself instead of someone else.
And the voting thing, I don't think most people really make a responsible or well informed decision anyway, so I don't see how teens being irresponsible is a good argument. A democracy should be the voice of the public, and that should include teenagers, african americans, prison inmates, women, presidents. (Actually, I've been wondering - can the president vote? o_o)
Anyway, thats it. Good job if you read this far ^_~ :bingo:
