I guess at 30 years old I'm no longer a "youth," but my understanding is that I am younger than most involved with this field and my interest in the subject goes back to my childhood.
My dad was always interested in the subject, though not exceptionally interested. He never read widely on the subject, but he was always up for conversation on the UFO mystery and would make it a point to watch shows on TV about the topic if he ran across them and also was a fan of sci-fi films growing up.
This interest was passed onto me and I guess I've taken it to the next level. I'm not nearly as knowledgeable on the subject as many people are, but I've done my fair share of exploration, whether it's reading books, listening to podcasts, or watching documentaries.
I was even a member of MUFON for a year and studied to become an investigator, before eventually being put off by the in-fighting within the organization. As I'm sure many know, there has been a major upheaval within MUFON, with several state directors getting fired, including the director for my own state, Utah. (This controversy, by the way, would make for an excellent Paracast episode.)
In regard to the question surrounding why young people are not interested in the UFO topic like they apparently were many decades ago, you know, I'm really not sure, but I think the fact that at that time the mystery was something that had only recently pushed its way into the public consciousness had a lot to do with it. Over time, answers weren't found, and interest faded.
As far as my own interest and direction goes, well, that's kind of up in the air. To be honest, I am discouraged by the fact that research doesn't really seem to be going anywhere, and I guess it's difficult to get motivated to do my own research when I know that many, many smarter people than myself have tried and failed. But my enthusiasm comes in waves and still spikes from time to time and, in those times at least, I really want to get involved and try to really do something.
My dad was always interested in the subject, though not exceptionally interested. He never read widely on the subject, but he was always up for conversation on the UFO mystery and would make it a point to watch shows on TV about the topic if he ran across them and also was a fan of sci-fi films growing up.
This interest was passed onto me and I guess I've taken it to the next level. I'm not nearly as knowledgeable on the subject as many people are, but I've done my fair share of exploration, whether it's reading books, listening to podcasts, or watching documentaries.
I was even a member of MUFON for a year and studied to become an investigator, before eventually being put off by the in-fighting within the organization. As I'm sure many know, there has been a major upheaval within MUFON, with several state directors getting fired, including the director for my own state, Utah. (This controversy, by the way, would make for an excellent Paracast episode.)
In regard to the question surrounding why young people are not interested in the UFO topic like they apparently were many decades ago, you know, I'm really not sure, but I think the fact that at that time the mystery was something that had only recently pushed its way into the public consciousness had a lot to do with it. Over time, answers weren't found, and interest faded.
As far as my own interest and direction goes, well, that's kind of up in the air. To be honest, I am discouraged by the fact that research doesn't really seem to be going anywhere, and I guess it's difficult to get motivated to do my own research when I know that many, many smarter people than myself have tried and failed. But my enthusiasm comes in waves and still spikes from time to time and, in those times at least, I really want to get involved and try to really do something.