If you're a noobie and you know it clap your hands?
I too am new and like several others, I am trying to find my footing here on the forums and in this endeavor called Investing. I will bet money at some point I will ask a dumb question or miss something that is quite obvious to others but that is part of learning. If I succeed at turning this want into action and action into profit and knowledge I will be more than happy to share. Until then you all are stuck with just one more wannabe!
However, as the original poster stated some people do suck. I manage a group of people now that suck.....suck the energy out of me every day with questions and needs and wants but I love them all the same because at the end of the day if they don't get what the goal is or they can't help us achieve it then it's as much or more my fault then it is theirs.
Sometimes with those who are the worst of the worst, you do have to cut them loose but not until you at least attempt in engage them and try and turn them around. So with that, I suggest you ask us newer folks who want to learn "what is it that we as noobies can do in return?" or "if we would like to learn something in exchange for time?". Not everyone will take you up on that offer, but the ones that do could eventually be of great value to you in the future.
Explain up front what you value and why and set the framework for the working relationship up front. If you don't want to deal with it then just say that. Or is it time for time, time for work, or just pay it forward. Whatever it is you value as a mentor, because face it if someone is asking you for help you are mentoring them, then make sure they are willing and wanting to pay the price before you pass on your valuable knowledge.
The forums are great places for knowledge but at my early stage, it's a bit like digging for gold. Sometimes you find great nuggets of information that you can relate with or maybe even apply. Other things that may be gold go undiscovered. Being able to ask someone questions and have that interaction is like finding a metal detector. It may not always lead you right to the gold but it's a lot quicker. The first talk may need to be to make the prospect understand that the metal detector is almost as valuable as the gold!
Ok enough rambling for now.
