The Financial Growth of Teens

Hello everyone! My name is Shachar and I am a Grade 9 student at Alexander Mackenzie High School. Today, I had the honor to attend the National High School Business Conference. Here are my thoughts and ideas highlighting what I learned about business and taking advantage of my young age.

Something I learned about business and leadership from the conference is that it all seems much harder than it really is. In reality, business is about trying, persevering, and learning from your mistakes. It takes dedication, determination, and a resolve to push forward, more than it is about age. Experience comes with age, but the younger you start the more of a headstart you get on experience. Leadership is all about knowing who you’re working with, their strengths and weaknesses, and how they do their work. It’s about knowing how to manage people and their abilities to fit the format of work that you have.

The speakers that graciously took time out of their busy day to come speak with us high school students provided many interesting and knowledgeable information. Between the information about starting at different ages, how to start, and where to start, the speakers provided clear, specific examples and information to persuade us the audience on why business is so important at such a young age.

I enjoyed the activities such as the Menti educational game presentation and the case studies which simulated an actual business environment. The challenge that came with having such a little amount of time to create our solutions to these studies proved to be an enjoyable experience, providing our groups with confidence and admiration.

I will use what I learned today when pursuing my future career, taking in what I should and should not be doing. Specifically when pursuing my future career and making sure to take risks and make sure to welcome sidetracking. I should not get discouraged if I cannot find a career I enjoy, although there are an infinite number of careers out there for me to try. I can get the best results from following my passion although I should always be trying my best out there.