15 Year old Coach... are you put off?

The ballet tutu would bother me a bit.

I've been thinking about this a bit because I fly airplanes. All the instructors seem to have been born after I got my license which means I was flying around the sky when they were pooping in a diaper. It's just kind of weird. Age really shouldn't make a difference and if someone has the right stuff, then they have it.

It also brings me face to face with the time value of opportunity. I certainly have had enough time to get type rated in a 747 by now, but didn't. It wasn't my focus and I put little into flying other than having fun. Meanwhile when I see a flight of F-16s overhead I know that I was flying before they were old enough, but it wasn't my chosen path.

Thanks for that pearl of wisdom, must make sure I don't put my zimmer frame over it and fall a**** over tip.

Hi Dave,

being from the Netherlands too, I have to say....yes some very smart young people in our country!

regards,

Mike

At this point I would say to eat the meat and spit out the bone. What this means is glean what the 15 year old knows that you don't and just throw out the things that you know better!

Terra

Becoming a millionaire like that does not happen by luck. He obviously worked hard at it.


Sounds to me like you need to put your own ego in check, realize age is nothing but a number, and that someone can ALWAYS teach you something.

There are a few sentiments in your comment that I found bothersome, to say the least.

While it would *make sense* for people to know more as they get older, at the end of the day it doesn't give a solid indication of how smart or mature someone actually is. I've known very, very mature 13-year-olds and extremely *immature* 30-year-olds. Real life examples - I've been able to have an adult-to-adult conversation about everything from Nazism to the afterlife to quantum mechanics with a 13-year-old; meanwhile, my 30-year-old cousin's idea of fun is to party all night with random guys, do drugs and leave her two sons (different fathers) with her parents to take care of them.

I could honestly say I learned a few things from the former; to say that there is "nothing" you can learn for the first time from a 15-year-old is not only arrogant, but ignorant. You never know just what someone else might have to teach you, whether directly or indirectly.

As you said, you gain from experience. But let me ask you, just because you're older, does that mean you LEARN from your experience? Even if you did learn, do you APPLY the lessons you learned? Sure, longer life span, more experience right? Truth of the matter is, many people just go through life, doing the same things again and again, day after day, without any change in their routine. In fact, the majority of people's thoughts were the exact same thoughts they thought yesterday. So tell me - if people do 98% the EXACT same actions as yesterday, day after day, for 50 years, does that automatically translate into growth and maturity?

Short answer: No. Growth doesn't stop until the day you die. To automatically rule out someone else's experience and knowledge is arrogant, because you are assuming the role of having all the knowledge you need. Einstein once said, "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."

Ever heard of Megan Williams? If not, look up her case. She was 20 years old when six maniacs abducted her, then raped and tortured her for more than a week. She's young, but I'd venture to say she went through more in that time frame than most people do in a lifetime. I'm sure that *she* could shock YOU, too, to the core with what she's been through.

Last but not least, the way kids are raised this day and age is only about 100 years old. Back in the day, kids weren't "just kids", but really smaller adults - got married, raised children, learned how to manage money, hold a job, all that other fun "adult" stuff.

Be careful in your assumptions. Just because someone's younger than you, doesn't automatically mean they're not as smart as you.

To answer the OP: If he knows his stuff, I say go for it. I have no qualms about it.

It's hypothetical only.

If he got it done and was mature enough to handle instructing someone older sure why not? I was the young guy when I started in computers well over 20 years ago. Middle age exec sees this cocky guy half his age walk in and explain why he really doesn't have a clue about how and where to spend his IT budget. I know it galled some of them. Now I'm the middle age guy but having been on the other side I know sometimes the young folks just get it. Faster and in more depth. Especially new markets and tech. It's just the way it is.

So no, no problem.

Youthful success is often more of a curse than a blessing. I know my 18 year old self wouldn't have handled it as well as my 40+ self would. But there would have been some great parties.

I would have no problem with it whatsoever.

When I got my first set of golf clubs I use to go golfing with friends every Sunday. I was a horrible golfer (still not too good today, but let me get to the point) Older people were constantly giving me tips. I would take their advice and my game still sucked.

One day a kid about 12 years old asked if he could golf with us. We said yes. This kid was sooo freaking good! He told us that he played golf since he was 4.

All the tips this kid gave me I still use today. He would explain things like: "you need to bend your knees. Bend! Bend! Like you're on the John!"

All he had to say is "bend your legs like you're on the John" and my game improved instantly.

Yep, you already see it in this thread.