I think one of the nicest things to come out of the "new economy" (whatever that phrase means to you) is that it puts a stake through the heart of the idea that "being old" is a prerequisite to "being good."

Back in the old days (eighties and before) there were certainly wunderkinden in the workplace here and there, but they were the exception and certainly not the rule. The regular course of events was start at the bottom and work your way up. You could be smart, and full of good ideas, but if you were young, well, you had to put in your time until you were old enough to be taken seriously. Fortunately this attitude is rapidly going away and people are realizing that a good idea is a good idea, whether it's from a 12-year old or a 90-year old. If you have the skillz (and yes, I realize that lots of 12-year olds, no matter how bright, don't have the communication or organizational skills needed to do some jobs) then you have a better chance today of being taken seriously than at any other time IMHO. More and more people are realizing that discriminating based on age rather than merit is seriously counterproductive, which hopefully is good news for all those young wet-behind-the-ears greenhorn wippersnappers hanging out in the monestary these days. :-D

Gary Blackburn
Trained Killer