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How long does it take to be an inventor? I already know you have to go to college, right?
Greetings! I'm Ms. Rohm at the International Community School. My 3rd graders have a few questions and I'd like to share your advice with them. Thanks for your words of wisdom! :)
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Ari’s Answer
Great question(s)!
Simple answer - you DO NOT need to go to college to become an inventor, although it can help. The fact is, inventors come in all ages, and come from all educational/ economic backgrounds/personal backgrounds. Here are the TWO things that they share in common: 1) They figure out solutions to problems; and 2) Successful inventors also stick with and perfect their devices until they get their solution to work and take hold.
Start NOW - think of real problems in the world and the simplist solutions for those problems. Also - if you're into technology, there are coding classes/schools/camps literally all over (MANY OF THEM FREE), so learn those skills.
From personal experience, I've been working on a solution to buy and sell property online. It's taken 5 years because of all of the laws and different regulations. However, it's now ready......so the lesson in all this is stick with it!
Please let me know if you have other questions
Talk to other inventors
Talk to your friends and family to find out if they have problems that need solved, and see if you can come up with a solution
Study other inventors or people who were leaders in their field, such as Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft), Dr. Ben Carson (Neurosurgeon who invented many different ways of doing brain surgery), Lonnie Johnson (NASA engineer who developed space craft engines and invented the SuperSoaker), and Robert Noyce (who invented the silicon microchip which makes ALL phones/computers work)
Simple answer - you DO NOT need to go to college to become an inventor, although it can help. The fact is, inventors come in all ages, and come from all educational/ economic backgrounds/personal backgrounds. Here are the TWO things that they share in common: 1) They figure out solutions to problems; and 2) Successful inventors also stick with and perfect their devices until they get their solution to work and take hold.
Start NOW - think of real problems in the world and the simplist solutions for those problems. Also - if you're into technology, there are coding classes/schools/camps literally all over (MANY OF THEM FREE), so learn those skills.
From personal experience, I've been working on a solution to buy and sell property online. It's taken 5 years because of all of the laws and different regulations. However, it's now ready......so the lesson in all this is stick with it!
Please let me know if you have other questions
Ari recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Gloria’s Answer
Hi,
I do not think that you have to go to college to be an inventor, however, it certainly helps. You can start working now towards being an inventor. You should learn about everything that you can. Being open to learning new things is a great way to be able to think creatively. Make sure that you are creative whenever possible. You should sing, dance, draw, and write. The most important element of being an inventor is this, perseverance. In other words, you cannot quit when something gets hard. You will not get any invention right the first time. There is going to be lots of challenges before you invent something that really works. So practice not quitting every day. Is Math too hard for you? Don't quit. Get help. Ask questions. Do you have problems with spelling or writing? Ask for help. Be patient with yourself. Slow down and try again. You may wonder what math and writing have to do with inventing. It will help you with practicing never giving up. Practice that in everything that you do and you can be whatever you want to be.
Gloria
I do not think that you have to go to college to be an inventor, however, it certainly helps. You can start working now towards being an inventor. You should learn about everything that you can. Being open to learning new things is a great way to be able to think creatively. Make sure that you are creative whenever possible. You should sing, dance, draw, and write. The most important element of being an inventor is this, perseverance. In other words, you cannot quit when something gets hard. You will not get any invention right the first time. There is going to be lots of challenges before you invent something that really works. So practice not quitting every day. Is Math too hard for you? Don't quit. Get help. Ask questions. Do you have problems with spelling or writing? Ask for help. Be patient with yourself. Slow down and try again. You may wonder what math and writing have to do with inventing. It will help you with practicing never giving up. Practice that in everything that you do and you can be whatever you want to be.
Gloria