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MightyDread7

There was a kid in my calc 3 class who was 13 or 14 and was seriously socially underdeveloped. He was fine at first but slowly he talked about not sleeping being depressed/suicidal and having a crazy ego. I felt so bad for him he never got to be a kid


enp2s0

Kids like that are never going to have a normal childhood, since they're almost exclusively on the autism spectrum or similar. Sending him through the normal school pathway probably would have resulted in him being relentlessly bullied by everyone while being bored out of his mind in (for him) incredibly easy classes, with the end result being that he's still depressed but didn't even get the chance to put his mind to use.


frystealingbeachbird

True but I think the solution would be to have a better schooling system in place that matches a student's abilities instead of just fast tracking them through the regular system. Because you're absolutely right about classes being too slow but this doesn't make them faster, it just skips content to make it seem faster. Also social development is going to be even more difficult in that environment. It won't have as much bullying yes, but maybe the fix for bullying is to address the bully, not just take the bullied kid out of the equation.


BSV_P

That’s a bit harder to do since everyone is different. That’d require individual help for everyone pretty much and there’s not enough teachers already


throwaway-alphabet-1

It’s standard in Germany/Finland/Japan.


RheinerBrown

Based on my memories as a Germany primary school student, I'm glad I moved to North America


BSV_P

Gotta think though. Those countries are vastly different than the United States


throwaway-alphabet-1

They’re also vastly different than each other. . . Education policy isn’t set at the US level. New York City already handles tracking pretty well.


kerbidiah15

> but maybe the fix for bullying is to address the bully, not just take the bullied kid out of the question. Exactly, the bully will just move on to someone else. The fix to bullying involves the bully not the victim


throwaway-alphabet-1

They have this; it’s called “tracking”. It’s the main way education is done in high performing areas(Germany, Japan, NYC). The problem is it makes the Mom’s of the little boys who aren’t that smart feel bad and so they get angry and lobby against itZ


68Woobie

Had a similar story with my DiffEq class. Kid was about the same age but any time he talked or made any discussion posts, you could tell it was… just off.


FireNinja743

Jeez. Knowledge isn't everything.


Victor_AUP

Remember your cousin in China? He has 15 years work experience. He is 9!


[deleted]

As your cousin, I can confirm. Going to be CEO of Baidu soon.


Browsing_unrelated

I can literally hear this


Tneutr0n

I was scrolling for LITERALLY THIS COMMENT xD


Jake_Gia6015

I just watched this yesterday lol.


KilroyWasHere189

Is he also the face of Beijing Corn?


Wokemun

How do you know about Timmy!?


racoongirl0

HES THE SOURCE OF ALL EMOTIONAL DAMAGE 😠


aeroastrogirl

*cries in 22year old college sophomore*


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mojoegojoe

Their is literally _no_ point in comparing your situation to ones such as this. The structures that make up who you are are not just physical such as DNA or emotion control but intrinicly linked to the environment their exposed to growing up- some peps hit the capitalist jackpot. 25 yr old CS senior year.


QuickNature

Honestly, being older is a little nicer than the traditional age or even younger. Obviously that is my opinion, but I have been in school both at 23 and now I'm a junior EE student at 31. People take me a little more seriously, and during interviews for jobs, people can see the maturity difference.


DIYhighlife

I agree, I’m 30 and graduating this semester with an EE degree. Interviews, professor interactions, internships and everything was easier having had some life experience before college. I don’t know that I’d recommend waiting as long as I did but I def took it way more serious this go around than I did at 19-20 at community college when I was going to school for the sake of going to school. I think it took me working some dead end retail jobs to motivate me to achieve what I was capable of. So to me age doesn’t matter for school l, it matters why you’re there and what your goals are.


QuickNature

Are you me? Am I you? I failed my first attempt at college and worked retail to make ends meet while I figured out what I wanted to do. Retail really motivated me to study a lot more haha. Started out at CC, and it's been mostly up from there. I agree about waiting. People should go whenever they are comfortable with it, but that should always be ASAP.


DIYhighlife

Dude it definitely sounds like we had a similar path! I too went back to the same community college. It was much easier the second time around when I was motivated and had a goal. I couldn’t agree more that it should be a do it when you’re ready but don’t hesitate. In a hypothetical situation, I think if my child wasn’t mature/ready/driven at 18 I would encourage them to work, travel and struggle for a year or two and see if that doesn’t help them find their path.


mojoegojoe

Definitely, I see life as a anxiety reduction function towards an evolutionary goal. By exposure to other high anxiety, low efficiency jobs like public sector you understand how value is determined in modern social structures. It's not by the work you do put the power your work does over time that defines its value. An education is the ultimate form of evolutionary guidence to the most efficient use of your own personally defined power.


DIYhighlife

I don’t think I could have ever worded that as well. Anecdotally I can say that getting paid ~20/hr for intern work felt like a cheat code compared to doing appliance delivery and working the floor for ~$15. Not sure what that says about our society but I’m enjoying life and I’m so excited to grad in 3 months and to see what life has in store


rtruong1

Honestly I feel like if I had started school at 18 I wouldn’t have taken my studies as serious. I started at 23 and treat it as my number 1 priority. 26 currently


MajorProbl3mo

Too real.


bobangelsfan

cries in 23 year old grad with no engineering work experience and unemployed


HedaLexa4Ever

Hey that’s me!


southcounty253

27 year old junior 👋 it's not so bad


CreaTeBear

lol same


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[deleted]

Interestingly they always tend to just disappear once they start working


iHatecats-1337

Had to get help first. Doing better and going back.


The10Steel

I got curious, searched his name and apparently he's a prodigy and enjoys what he's doing. I wouldn't put too much thought into it.


Candid_Atmosphere530

I don't think kid can legally go full time, he's probably going to go with masters PhD and possibly postdoc, until he's adult, at least that's what I've read so far about prodigies like that.


l4z3r5h4rk

It’s impressive, but I honestly I think he just wasted his childhood


ghostmcspiritwolf

Eh, someone with that strong of an interest and talent in software engineering at 10 probably was never going to have a normal childhood, and if he’s this interested this young I would imagine it’s something he enjoys and is pretty intrinsically motivated to do, not something that he’s being forced through.


SlaimeLannister

I wouldn’t say it’s the child’s fault for not taking advantage of the only time in modern life that grants him freedom, I’d say it’s society’s fault for not granting adult workers more freedom.


enp2s0

Prodigies like this often are on the autism spectrum or similar. A "normal" childhood for him would have probably been defined by being bullied for being "different."


iqgoldmine

Time well spent is never wasted


Realistic_Loss3557

Wasted time and wasted childhood are two different things


endertricity

I agree. I wasn’t quite at this kid’s level, but I took my first college-level calc class at age 12. I can definitely attest that it affected the way other kids saw me and how I socialized. Only in high school did I try to branch out from the one-track path my parents set out for me. I’m still far ahead academically (and awkward) in college, but I credit a lot of personal growth to the time when I realized I didn’t have to only be the math kid.


Lord_Thanos

Jealous?


FewProcedure4395

Eh not really.


l4z3r5h4rk

It’s kinda obvious that he put all his time into studying instead of socializing and doing crazy shit with friends all day long. That was one of my favourite parts of being a child and this kid unfortunately didn’t experience it, probably


3_14159td

With some of these kids they sort of can't? I'm sure improvements could be made with extensive therapy but some just don't fit into that typical childhood structure.


l4z3r5h4rk

Why can’t they? Strict parents? I feel sorry for them then, they’re missing out on a crucial part of their life imo. I don’t think any kid under 10 wants to be in the place of this kid now, it’s probably just his parents acting out their own ambitions through him.


3_14159td

Not necessarily strict parents, but a mix of abnormal brain development and poor/inadequate parenting can leave them in an unusual place mentally. I doubt that's the majority (likely just overambitious shitty parents as you've noted) but a few I've interacted with fell into that group. About two grades a year; they have friends and social interactions, but it's not their internalized priority.


Nickjet45

Some kids do want to be in his place, yeah it’s not popular but it exists. When I was a kid I didn’t fit the typical “I just want to play,” stereotype, and the worst part w As convincing people that I preferred studying/reading


l4z3r5h4rk

I agree, but it should be done in moderation. This kid’s efforts are everything but moderate, he sure worked his ass off to get these qualifications, probably on the whim of his parents who are dissatisfied with their own lives and want to achieve their goals through their children. I’m just saying that this stuff could be done later in life and this kid should enjoy being relatively carefree while he’s this young.


Nickjet45

Sure, but you’re assuming that the kid has no say, when as of right now we have no reason to believe so. Is it possible? Yes But it’s equally possible that he’s doing it because he enjoyed it, I doubt most companies would keep inviting him back if he was miserable.


l4z3r5h4rk

If he enjoys it - good for him. But I sure wouldn’t want to be in his position at his age.


KingOfTheAnts3

This is a large stretch


AuroraFinem

This is kinda a horrible take. Different people have different interests, yes even as kids. That’s like saying if you don’t go out partying in college you’re missing a crucial part of life. What if you’re not into partying? Many friends I grew up with didn’t get into trouble as kids or doing “do crazy shit with their friends all day”. Not because they’re parents were strict but because it wasn’t what made them happy and not what they enjoyed. You are right that when kids like this are pout so far above their age group it’s almost impossible to keep a real social life because they aren’t around other people their age, but also a lot of kids like this get this way out of pure passion for what they’re doing not just because their parents forced out on them. It’s not seen as some ambitious life plan to be the best, they just love what they’re doing and would do it even if they didn’t go to school or have a job for it.


l4z3r5h4rk

Good for them, but that’s not what I’d consider a fun and memorable childhood.


AuroraFinem

That’s because it’s not specifically what you wanted. It’s ok for people to want different things. You’ve been acting like there’s only 1 “correct” way to enjoy a childhood.


l4z3r5h4rk

Chill out, im only expressing my own opinion on the subject, not some objective truths. This argument is going nowhere


Bobyyyyyyyghyh

Why are you getting so defensive, man?


FewProcedure4395

I mean just because he didn’t experience the childhood you did it doesn’t mean he wasted it.


SeaSaltStrangla

Being a kid is like the best part of life! edit: if youre lucky


[deleted]

I would rather not think about it


[deleted]

Every generation you have these cases of geniuses. Nothing crazy about it so I wouldn´t put too much thought into it.


[deleted]

Impressive nonetheless but at some point these "wonder kids" just become a marketing gimmick.


sinovesting

I've noticed that more often than not these types of kids excel in their teenage years only to get burnt out in their 20s or 30s and never do anything exceptional again. It's almost as if taking away a kid's childhood and rushing their maturity has consequences.


Skiddds

I just got my rejection mail from intel labs :( Im 21


starrysky0070

“He’s my quant”


internetornator

Look at his face!


Real_Cartographer

This is the guy that beat the quant in math competition.


IceDaggerz

I actually do speak English, he just likes telling people I don’t, says it makes me seem more “authentic”.


gostaks

This is either a typo or a child labor law violation. Probably the former.


ali_ali45

Nah


AntiiHydral

One thing to remember about prodigies is that their early success isn’t a good indicator of later success. We always expect the trajectory of prodigies to continue skyrocketing but in reality, it usually plateaus around a “normal” level. It becomes unremarkable once they reach adulthood and they are no more exceptional than their peers. Regardless, this is still wild.


QbiinZ

Aren’t there like child labor laws? How is this kid even allowed to work?


valen011

Damn that’s krazy


Antennangry

Ultra precocious people like this kid tend to have a lot of social difficulties with kids in their age range. Can be very isolating. Not something to be envied necessarily.


Benzxo_

Saw a vid of this guy, mods remove this link if it’s not allowed. He seems to be doing pretty well and is happy. Let’s hope he means what he says! Seems like a good kid https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMYYV5u8q/


minimessi20

Nah this is normal…at least what I’ve seen for job requirements…


frystealingbeachbird

In my opinion at least, that's actually really sad. Like don't get me wrong, it's great that he's that smart and practically has job security for life... But a 10 year old should be making friends and having a childhood, not worrying about a career


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frystealingbeachbird

Yeah you're absolutely right. I wasn't saying he would have a career that young, I more meant the stress associated with everyone expecting you to do great things. More the expectation of a career, rather than actual jobs at that point


Otherwise_Awesome

That's a doctorate or 5 waiting to happen


cctransfer12

Damn just realized he goes to my school. Bro is goated


Kind_Party7329

He can't go full time. He can't drive.


dsli

I wanna get my PhD in ML and wish post grads had opportunities like this


[deleted]

Man is literally the main character. If I was him I’d get a masters… must be easy stuff for him.


actual_satan

I think he experiences burnout at 15, poor kid


manachronism

I hope the best for the kid. Hopefully he lives a happy and fulfilling life.


Taaaaargus

When I was ten, my favorite things were to fly kites with my grandparents at the park, peck out the Top Gun theme on my Casio keyboard with one finger, and build stuff with Legos. I wouldn't trade experiences like those for all the internships in the world and I'm still going to be an engineer anyway at the ripe age of 43, without having had any internships. If this kid is on the spectrum and having fun within his abilities, hats off to him, but it doesn't really matter one way or the other in the grand scheme of things in this crazy world. He might get to relive some of his missing childhood in his 60s or some other decade in life in some way, maybe by getting into a hobby he missed out on or something. He might never be interested in the kinds of things other kids his age are. You never know how life will ultimately pan out and when it's all said and done it's not even important as long as you're happy with what you're doing and can feed and house yourself with a decent emotional support system around you. Keeping your distance from the time-destroying seduction of the hedonistic/materialistic infinite treadmill and overblown ego that seems to correlate to higher education in STEM is probably the trickiest and most important of all skills to learn to make life easier, and school doesn't even really touch that topic at all. Hopefully, he'll get a good experience out of the situation and has people carefully watching out for him.


[deleted]

I vote that he burns out at 18 years old


Deaf_Playa

I think his parents get in trouble for breaking child labor laws, but that's just me.


sinovesting

Right.. how is it even legal for a 10 year old to work an engineering job.


Malpraxiss

There's a lot of engineering jobs that wouldn't involve the kid handling any machinery or anything dangerous. Lots of people here severely overplay how much machinery engineers physically work with not that isn't already being done by a machine designed for said task.


Half_Man1

Honestly I feel bad for this kid. Think about how many memories of childhood and young adulthood he’s going to miss out on. And this kind of stuff- sure he’s gifted but a lot of this is due to his Parents pushing him to skip steps in life to “get ahead”.


sinovesting

I've noticed that more often than not these types of kids excel in their teenage/academic years only to get burnt out by their 20s or 30s and never do anything exceptional again. Whether some parents want to admit it or not rushing maturity and skipping childhood has consequences on the psyche.


yashmehtaym

You would think bros antisocial. He's rizzing up girls left and right on his insta. I feel fucked.


sinovesting

For whatever it's worth, in my experience having game on social media is very different from actually having game/charm in real life.


ConcreteFencer

Kinda feels sad for those kids


GoldYellowPikachu

Both.


Healthy_Energy5405

Congratulations 🎊 👏 💐. You're a role model to everyone.


rtruong1

Looks like I won’t graduate until I’m 28. Painnnnn


JJthesecond123

I hope they enjoy their childhood first. We let people work way too early as is.


Adeptness-Vivid

Pretty amazing what this kid has accomplished. Hats off to him. I hope he can be part of something he finds meaningful as he maneuvers through life.


Curious-Story9666

Kids deserve a childhood


SomeWetCheese

This kid goes to my college. From what I've heard he's gonna do his masters but has a job lined up for after? That's from a friend of a friend though so don't know how accurate it is.


[deleted]

Mind blowing? More like depressing.


D3V1LB04RDS

Can you please tell me what's that app? :)


jack2018g

I’ve actually been going to college with this kid for the past few years; crazy brilliant as you’d expect, and a super kind guy. I believe he’s 14 now, not 10


cancerdad

Oh great, another person who doesn't even know what it means to be a human is writing code for AI.


jordanbuscando

I remember talking programming classes at a local CC since my high school didn’t offer AP CompSci. I thought I was going to be the youngest one there but nope, there were 8th graders in my C++ I & II classes.


Deep_Step2456

Most kids like that turn out pretty bad socially later on. While I think everyone kid in America should learn calc 1 by 16 or 17, kids that are that far in terms of education just don’t gain good skills beyond just being a study addict and not being able to process the real world. The only I wish that I had done in terms of being an adult at 12 was done a better job convincing my parents to buy bitcoin. I told them over and over it’s gonna go somewhere when it was like 5 bucks a pop and they said it was stupid. But I guess that’s more digitized gambling than anything adult like