[smt88]

Once you get to college, you're going to realize that you'll never have a vacation like you did when you were young. Real life starts and it never ends until you die.

Spend your summer doing something that you love. If that's coding, do that, and don't worry about getting paid for it yet. Also don't worry about building your resume -- you can start doing that when you're 14, if your heart is really set on it.

No one looks back on their life and thinks, "I wish I'd spent more summers working when I was a teenager." If they're lucky, instead they'll think, "I wish I could go back to those summers and really appreciate them for what they were: the last time I really didn't have to worry about anything."

For some perspective, I worked for software companies as a teenager and it hasn't helped me at all in my career. It wasn't worth the time, although having money was nice. But I don't remember the money now or what I did with it.

[wdewind]

Counter-perspective: I do wish I'd spent more summers working in software. Going to camp and doing regular kid things made me miserable. Working for software companies as a teenager absolutely helped me in my career, and it was absolutely worth the time.

[smt88]

Thanks for your perspective.

I guess I'll add this to my own comment: working at a real job as a teenager isn't going to make or break his career. He's a smart and driven kid, just as you seem to have been. If he enjoys coding more than socializing or traveling or whatever, he should certainly code, but he's already well beyond his peers (and always will be).

It's just very different to work on your own stuff at your own pace vs. working for a boss. I also suspect completing more of his own projects would actually be better for his career than whatever a company would allow him to do.

[mcdougle]

This. I'd suggest making his own stuff instead of getting into an internship, maybe building some small apps he could even charge for and make some side money. Start at 13 and build enough of those, and he might never need a job. I wish I'd done something like that in college, when I had plenty of free time.

Plus, that was what always impressed the most during job interviews. I was generally one of the top prospects in the interviews I did -- not because of my GPA, or the school I went to, or past job experience, but because of some of the interesting projects I'd done either on my own or to help out my father with his businesses. It shows not just skill (which lots of other people have, even if it might be a bit less than you) but ambition and drive (which, it seems, not many others have).

[wdewind]

> It's just very different to work on your own stuff at your own pace vs. working for a boss. I also suspect completing more of his own projects would actually be better for his career than whatever a company would allow him to do.

Which is exactly why I'd suggest working for someone if that's what he's into. Working with other engineers will give you a real sense of engineering standards, give you a sense of how to work on teams, help you set a reasonable pace etc. In a lot of ways at that stage in life your boss is much closer to a mentor/coach.

I would not suggest he does contract work, but instead finds a group of people who are interested in teaching and mentoring. I think we are comparing different outcomes in that sense.

[lachlanjc]

I completely agree with that. Normal kid things sound incredibly boring :)

[smt88]

No one is saying to be normal or to do "kid things" (whatever you may include in that). Some of us are just saying that building your resume shouldn't be a high priority at 13.

[rvdm]

This is a great point. But maybe it's possible to strike a balance? No teenager likes being told they can't or shouldn't pursue their dreams.

Plus, with this drive and ambition his company might IPO when he's 18 and then he can retire and spend the rest of his life living the good life.

[gohrt]

If you work hard and achieve succss early in life, you can take long vacations for the ret of your life.

The real issue is that some people have a postiive attitude adn enjoy what they do, and some people live their life regretting everything they didn't do and not appreciating what they do.

[smt88]

Nothing I'm recommending will prevent him from succeeding wildly and retiring early.