Nobody Cares About Your Age

(Like seriously no one. Unless you’re 450, in which case we might have questions…)

"I’m 14, 16, or 23, and I just built a revolutionary new ______!" That’s great! But guess what? Telling everyone your age doesn’t make your work any more impressive. It’s actually more likely to make people roll their eyes than to applaud your youth.

Reader’s Brain:

"Oh, look, another ‘prodigy’ telling me about their age like it’s some kind of miracle. Are they hoping I’ll congratulate them for the date on their birth certificate?"

Instead, focus on what you built, how you built it, and why it matters. That’s what people really want to know.

Why age-bragging is about as helpful as a Git commit that says "Updated stuff"

1. You’re overshadowing your real accomplishments: Age doesn’t help someone decide if your project is worth checking out; quality does.
2. It’s often just a hype tactic: People suspect you’re trying to fish for upvotes, likes, or “OMG you’re so young, that’s awesome!” comments.
3. It can come across as condescending: It can read like: “Look how special I am because I’m so young.” Meanwhile, a 40-year-old or 70-year-old who built something even more complex may get overlooked—simply because they didn’t wave their birth certificate in the air.

But… I’m proud of being a young dev!

That’s fine! If you’re truly proud, show it by building cool stuff. People will notice. You don’t need to lead with your age—your passion and results speak for themselves.

Age is not an achievement

You didn’t “earn” your age by skill, determination, or creativity. You just… existed. Everyone ages at precisely the same rate: one day at a time. So nobody’s particularly impressed you happen to be XX.

So what should I do instead?

• Lead with the interesting bits: “Hey everyone, I built an AI that can transform code reviews into T-Rex drawings! Check it out here: [link].”
• Explain your motivation: People love hearing why you built something and how you solved the problems along the way.
• Ask for feedback: on the project itself, not your age.

In short

Stop brandishing your birth certificate. No one’s going to give you extra credit just because you were born X years ago. Show us your skill, your project, or your question. That’s what people actually care about.

Pro Tip:

Don’t believe it? Just check any Reddit or Hacker News thread where someone says, “I’m only X, and I made…” See how quickly the conversation turns into “So what?” or “Is this a scam?” or “lol you’re lying.”

If you want your work to shine, let it be the star, not your ID card.