Item — HN Reader

I know 16-year-olds, and 15-year-olds, and 14-year-olds, who absolutely know what goes on in a job hunt because they are observant, socially aware, and have watched relatives sending literally hundreds of resumes and get nothing back.

And those kids ... inexperienced, no mortgage, no creditors, no "real world" responsibilities ... absolutely see it.

When someone builds something using the tools at hand and the experience they have, it definitely matters as to how old they are, and how much they've done. That shapes how you give feedback, both in style and content.

I know a lot of bright, intelligent, keen, motivated kids, and in every way I encourage them to go and build things that they think are relevant and important, even if I don't agree. The experience will shape them and make them better.

1 comments

See and experience are highly different. Some things in life require experience. This is one of them. They haven't had that life experience, yet.

> it definitely matters as to how old they are, and how much they've done.

No, it doesn't. Either the tool is good/useful or it isn't. Everything about this tool is AI slop, from the website to the utility itself.

I agree entirely that seeing and experiencing are different, but seeing it is more than being blissfully unaware, and can be enough to provide motivation.

And I've worked with many youngsters who have significant amounts of empathy. They feel the pain almost as if it's their own.

>> definitely matters as to how old they are, and how much they've done.

> No, it doesn't. Either the tool is good/useful or it isn't.

So if a developer with decades of experience in writing software would receive exactly the same feedback from you as a 16-year-old writing their first project?

If not, if you would tailor your feedback, then it does matter how old they are.