Feel guilty about recommending new people to the hobby?

[mts]

It's to the point where I feel guilty if I try to get someone new into the hobby. Will they buy a machine and end up letting it sit around unused? Let's face it, most people just won't enjoy this hobby. And there are fewer and fewer places to easily hunt. You really have to put in the work to find the good spots and even then the good finds are few and far between. I still love the hobby but I really feel like most new people wouldn't like it or wouldn't want to put in the work. Plus, you have the odd stigma that people seem to unfairly put on metal detectorists.

Over the weekend I was detecting at one of my rental properties and a neighborhood kid took a real interest in what I was doing. He asked if he could "watch". Didn't seem to me like it would be much fun and I told him so, but he insisted that he would enjoy it. He watched me for over two hours! He was so excited every time I pulled something out of the ground. But frankly, I have to wonder if I did him any favors by lighting this fire in him. Will he ask for a detector for his birthday and end up getting frustrated at all of the trash he digs? He can certainly dig his own yard but then what? Most of the parks around here are terrible (young parks filled with trash and regulations). Being new to the hobby without an experienced detectorist to guide him, he will likely just give up. And I just don't have the time to be his mentor.

I told him that if his dad was interested I would bring a few detectors over to his house (he lives in the house directly behind our property) and I would give them some instruction and let them hunt their small yard. He seemed to think that was a great offer. I think this is better than telling him to buy a detector with no instruction and no real insight into what the hobby is like. And of course, this would hopefully open up a few opportunities for other permissions that they might know about.

I love the kid's passion. He seems to be in middle school and I'm not sure he has a lot of friends to be honest. But I have to wonder if I am setting him up for disappointment. Or perhaps... I'm setting him up for a lifetime of fascination and enjoyment!

 

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[Indian Steve]

It can't hurt to try. He will decide if it is what he likes or not.

 

[Mackaydon]

"But I have to wonder if I am setting him up for disappointment. Or perhaps... I'm setting him up for a lifetime of fascination and enjoyment."
Suggestion: Set him up for the later. Forget your 'guilt'; make it your excitement.
Don......

 

[brianc053]

In my town I've become known as the "Metal Detector" (because people don't understand the word Detectorist).
I brought this on myself by starting a blog on our town's Facebook page where I would tell a story about an interesting find about once every two weeks. People love it, as it is a local history lesson and a distraction from the general news of the world/country.

I had at least three parents contact me and ask for recommendations on detectors they should get for their family. I'm not a dealer so I just gave them my honest opinions, and I was blunt about the tradeoff between budget and the ability to discriminate trash. I told them all that they will dig trash even with the best detectors.

I'm sure that a few of them actually bought detectors over the holidays; I know one dad did for sure. He updated me yesterday: "Incredible what you can find in our town. I was going out with my son up until last weekend. We found a whole bunch of hundred-year-old shotgun shell headstamps, wire, and large pieces of metal. It was still loads of fun!"
I don't feel guilty for a moment that I got people excited about the hobby and provided recommendations, even though I know that there were some detectors purchased that will likely never get used. That one dad that spent a few hours with his son may have had an experience that they'll remember - and that's worth the $450 they spent on a Vanquish (I think that's what they bought).
Final thought: adults are grown-ups that can make their own decisions. MTS you did the right thing in suggesting that the kid's dad get involved. The dad can make a dad decision, and if he spends his money on something he ultimately doesn't use - he still learned something.
(I had an old car once, and after I had to swap the brake cylinder I learned that I HATE working on old cars. But I'm still happy I learned that).

Don't feel guilty for a moment.

 

[mts]

Thanks all. I think I will stick with the plan of letting them use my detectors while I'm there showing them the ropes. If they like it well enough to pursue the hobby then that's on them.

 

[salvatorparadise]

Detecting is like a lot of pursuits in life or maybe life itself. It's hard. Things don't just happen on their own most of the time. You gotta put in the work and time to get results. Opportunity abounds but you have to go and get it.

 

[Xraywolf]

Can't force a kid or adult to pursue something they don't like, and the only way to find out if they like it is to try.
Just keep his expectations real, ie most of what he finds will be disappointing junk, if he expects a treasure chest to come flying out the ground then he might just sour.

There are good and valuable things out there waiting to be found, impress on him that it takes time and commitment to find them, and the trash just comes with the territory.

 

[seanz]

One doesn't necessarily get material gain out of a hobby. I know some people who spend hours-long fishing without catching any fish and without getting disappointed about it either.Stranger yet, they put back to sea the ones they happen to catch. So, there is no way to worry about it.

 

[Mackaydon]

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Show him the water.
Don.....