A Glimpse into the Future?

I was sitting in the car this morning listening to Patrick and two of his closest friends, old buddies from Montessori School and fellow second graders, plan a big business venture. We were on our way to Audubon camp "Junior Naturalists" where the three of them have spent every day this week.

The business venture that they were planning seems to be something between zoo and novelty restaurant, loosely modeled after the Sharks Underwater Grill at Sea World Orlando. It was quite an intriguing look into the personalities of these three boys. First, they brainstormed the features of the place. Then they started drafting rules (no putting your hands in the piranha tank, no fishing for puffer fish, etc.) when one of the boys - not much of an underwater guy - added the rule 'no diving' (as in SCUBA). As if he had just said that the earth was flat, the other two boys - in unison - said "OF COURSE you can dive!" Not missing a beat he responded that if there was going to be diving in the shark tank then they would have to buy dive gear.

Now, they had already established that this was going to be an expensive venture. They would need at least one tank measuring 30 feet deep, 50 feet long, and about 15 feet wide. They would have to collect fish for this tank and build a coral reef (once they decided that growing a natural reef would take too long), and they would need people to feed the fish and clean the tanks. By their calculations they would need AT LEAST $1,000. They were stuck on how to raise that much money (I later suggested that they get investors) when one of the boys brought the whole thing down to earth suggesting that they all had to go to college first. After a brief pause (clearly contemplating the torturous years it would take to complete college) one boy suggests that maybe they don't have to go to college. This kicked off a new discussion about the pros and cons of going to college (pros included things like gaining knowledge on how to run a business, capture and care for sharks and marine animals, run a restaurant, and manage money, cons included things like the amount of time it would take, the expense - money better used for the venture, and living away from home for four to eight years. One of the boys pointed out that going to college would ensure that they earn "way more money" than if they didn't finish college.

They returned to their venture discussion once they decided that they can still go to college and run the business at the same time. Two of the boys were clearly the "big picture" idea guys. The third one was a details guy. I heard him say - more than once - "if you're going to do [xyz] it will be important to also do [abc]". This serious discussion lasted all the way to the Audubon clubhouse.

From their posture to the words that they used, to the way they talked with their hands, this entire conversation was a glimpse into the future. I could clearly see these three guys, thirty years from now, dressed in Dockers, Polo shirts, and Penny Loafers, sitting around a Starbucks table plotting their next big venture over a latte.