A famous artist who studied with me insulted me. The woman of my dreams was protected by a guard. So without experience, you have the expertise, but without expertise, you have no experience.
So I thought the biggest challenge facing young people these days is to gain experience. Many struggles to sit down with a degree or certificate and gain any experience. That being said, regardless of the amount of expertise or experience young people face, they face the serious challenge of being “young”. Interestingly, many people cite age as a reason for seeking opportunities, rather than a lack of knowledge or understanding.
And in my experience, age, or more specifically how you look, has played a bigger role than the person’s gender. I was half kidding when I said that one of the things I do is get more gray hair! When you reach a certain age, you feel like you have to do everything in your power to eliminate the attitudes and appearances that make you look younger.
I have a friend who wears reading glasses without a prescription simply because wearing reading glasses makes a big difference in how people react to them. Your intervention and contributions will be taken more seriously. On the other hand, senior professionals feel comfortable showing off, joking, and doing things they see as “young” at will, but they are older.
