Can We Get Real for a Minute?
Hey there readers! Welcome back to the Hustle and Hack column. This month, we’re gonna get real, and talk about the not-so-amazing side of being a young entrepreneur. Now, with any job, despite your age, there are always pros and cons. Unfortunately, with being a business owner at a young age, there seems to be a bit more of a disadvantage. Mainly in the “Oh my gosh, you’re only 17?!” area.
I started my internship path when I was 14 with a producer/photographer who shot for Vogue and worked with PBS on a television show. Needless to say, I was pretty excited! Getting the internship, however, took a bit of work due to my age. I wanted it more than anything in the world. It took a lot of persistence to obtain it with no prior experience, even with being self-taught in the production field.
Once I got the internship, things skyrocketed and I got to meet some of the coolest people and most impressive brands. However, one of the most common things I heard was, “Oh wow! You got an internship with him? How did you do it at 14? Are you old enough to do it?” And this list could continue.
I think one of the ways I got over people treating me with kid gloves when all I wanted was to learn about the field, was by avoiding the question all together. For instance, I had an
internship with a Youtuber who thought I was a few years older. Of course, I made sure not to lie if the question arose, but it really never did. She assumed I was older and I was treated with
respect and actually was able to learn about what she did! Even being 17 now, I still make sure to leave my age off of LinkedIn or any ads or my website, because people always assume the worst about teenagers and their work ethic.
At times, I just want to gather all of the 17 year olds in the world and tell them to stop making the rest of us look bad when it comes to being professional. With our fidget spinners and non-stop selfies, I can understand that age and expertise go hand-in-hand. I think that potential employers or clients should focus on how badly you want to learn or how skilled you are at what you do. I always make sure that my reel is the first thing that people see, so they can understand my work before they try to assume that I can’t do it because I’m “only 17”.