At the age of 15, I was the typical teenager: doing minimal effort at school, hanging out with friends, trying to impress girlfriends. There were no computers, no cellphones, no Internet to play video games – we hang out at the arcade, feeding coins to the game machines. We had time to go on trips on the weekends, go catch a movie or have parties. Healthy stuff.<\/p>\n
Today’s teenagers are just too busy to claim that their leisure time is separate from work time or that there is a world of separation between them and adults. The Internet has created persistent expectations and rather firm stereotypes, bringing easy access to a myriad of goodies – directly to one’s bedroom. If you’re 15 and you have no cable access and a spanking new PC, you’re an outcast. Geeks are in and even chicks dig them these days.<\/p>\n
The problem lies with young teenagers of both genders that attempt to overstep their age boundary and indulge into the commercial world of adulthood. <\/strong>One would argue that teenagers, being exposed to a variety of active environments these days, can actually mature faster and are therefore able to function more competitively in an effective fashion. While this might hold some water, studies show that the human brain between the ages of 12 to 20 undergoes an extreme fluctuation of its chemical secretion levels. Both boys and girls can act irrational, utterly emotional, unpredictable and with knee-jerk reactions that can sometimes be dangerous to themselves and to others.<\/p>\n Excluding children prodigies, which seem to evolve extremely well under the supervision of adults, young teenagers are simply too moody to successfully engage in the worldwide professional arena. There are certain qualities that are gained from life itself and cannot be taught in a family or at school. Such elements are crucial when engaging in business transactions with others, especially adults. Responsibility to one’s financial obligations, the weight and importance of one’s word, the ability to deliver timely what was promised, the ability to predict or rebound from the unexpected. These are qualities that one gathers in life, as we mature, from interaction with others through aging.<\/p>\n In today’s business environment, everyone with computer access and a few guidelines can attempt to form an online business. While exceptions are there, the overall rule appears to be that most teenagers are not to be trusted with managing tasks which involve a need for secrecy, the handling of large amounts of funds, delivering timely or in full. Teenagers simply don’t possess the experience and will to deliver all that, every single time, as they need exactly that – time – to stabilize their minds, to solidify their persona. And time is what separates young children from teenagers and young adults from mature individuals.<\/strong><\/p>\n Should one avoid dealing with teenagers in an online or real life business transaction?<\/p>\n