WHAT DO i DO?

Question

Hey everybody out there in yahoo land i'm sure you all know that song "Wild World" by Cat Stevens. Any way I'm 16 and this will be my first summer with a license and I sorta want to do something that makes the world go round. My parents aren't very supportive about sending money through the computer but I enjoy watching CSNBC and would love to learn the stocks, bonds, and all that good money stuff. I don't really have any talents perse but I am interested in a lot of things and wouldn't mind trying anything in the fields of marketing, money, management, cartooning, music yah know..something with a purpose. Any 16 year old can work a register or push carts but their is no point to it. I don't want to start a job then feel like I have a "safe place" so I don't advance myself at all. I also would like a girlfriend so I don't grow up living on a farm with cats yah know, not a girl just to put <3 in your aim but someone who really would spend the rest of their life with you. HELP 54321

Answer 1

I know this isn't what you wanted to hear but listen to your parents. It is REALLY hard for you to believe this, but they were 16 once and wanted to do things very much like you want to do things now. I'm not saying that you absolutely must get a dead-end job but you should take your parent's advice seriously. They really have been there before.

One thing that you could do is to try paper stock trading for six months or so, checking in each day with your parents. In other words, assign yourself $1,000 in Monopoly money and use it to make paper stock buys every day. At the end of the day, have your account validated by a parent. If you think you have a talent for business or stocks, do paper trades for six months to see if you can make your phony money grow. If you show a positive balance after six months, lobby your parents for some money that you can actually put into the stock market. If they've been participating every day, they should see just how good you are. Give yourself firm rules, such as making trades only at 10 AM and 3 PM. Write your trades down and either give it to a parent or a teacher, someone who will make sure you're not gaming the system.

If you want to make a difference, grab a trash bag and some gloves, and go pick up the trash along a road in your area. Maybe you can get a friend or two to join you.

As for finding the love of your life at 16, don't sweat it. She'll come along some day but you have several years before you really need to start looking. In the meantime, don't be afraid to ask a girl on a date... it's one of the hardest things you can do but it's pretty rewarding when she says, "Yes."

You will have to make your own mistakes, just as we all did. However, talk to your parents and think about their advice. As hard as it is to imagine, they were in your shoes once and know exactly what it was like. In fact, they know a lot more about being 16 than you know about being 40. Don't be afraid to be bold but seek wisdom from the ones who care the most about you.

Good luck!