9 ms·

The truth is, some of those brilliant kids going into BigCorp are lost startups, some are future startups, and most won't be startups regardless, because most p

The truth is, some of those brilliant kids going into BigCorp are lost startups, some are future startups, and most won't be startups regardless, because most people aren't founders. Exactly. I will be starting at Google in June, but I am not a "startup lost". I have thought about it, and eventually came to the conclusion that I am not startup material for a number of reasons. This may change in the future after I have worked for Google, and if so, I can always join a startup then.

huherto 17y ago
You probably know this already, but it if you dream of eventually doing a start up make sure to keep your expenses under control now. Your expenses tend to grow along your paycheck. It can be really hard to downsize if you decide to go the start up route.
- mikepurvis 17y ago
  I agree with this. Even if your paycheque is $5k a month, practice living on half of that or less—maybe a lot less. It won't hurt to save the rest anyway.
  - sailormoon 17y ago
    Agree, agree, 100x agree! You do not need a BMW, buy a corolla. You do not need the loft, live in the cheapest decent unit you can find. Don't get into the showy lifestyle trap.
    - eru 17y ago
      If you live in Europe (or New York), you don't even need a car.
      - gcheong 17y ago
        Or San Francisco, or Tokyo...
        derwiki 17y ago
        and for everything else, there's ZipCar (I just sold my car :)
  - ojbyrne 17y ago
    One of the rules of thumb I heard somewhere and try to do (though it's pretty damn hard) is to save 1/3 of your gross salary.
    - jasonkester 17y ago
      I don't have a rule of thumb, but my actual number is usually more like 2/3 of gross saved. It helps to have the car paid for and not have a mortgage or apartment lease though.
      - ojbyrne 17y ago
        That seems impossible for me - taxes and other deductions are over a third of my gross salary.
        potatolicious 17y ago
        Ditto, my taxes are about a third of my gross, but I do save about half of my net, making for about a 1/3 savings rate overall. Honestly, I haven't hut to cut on many things to get here, so I'm pretty happy about it. One key thing has enabled this: No car. None, no desire for one. I pay extra to live centrally in the city near good public transit, but the extra I've paid (compared to living in a burb) is a tiny fraction of the cost of car ownership. By my estimates that alone gets me an extra 10% savings rate at the very least. I have all the spare cash in the world to travel, buy cool toys without ever digging into the rainy day/startup fund. Being childless certainly helps, too.
        ojbyrne 17y ago
        Yes, I mostly save "about" a third. The hard part is getting to above a third consistently. I agree with the car part, but with the proviso that it doesn't work so well when suddenly you end up with a job in some industrial park that doesn't have good public transit.
        17y ago
- brlewis 17y ago
  I agree, and will add that kids are expensive, especially if you want good education. "Ramen profitable" is a lot harder to reach when your life gets to that point.
  - MrFoof 17y ago
    > agree, and will add that kids are expensive, especially if you want good education. These factors aren't linked if you're willing to put in the effort. When growing up we lived in one of the worst parts of the state regarding school districts. Parents began to teach us how to read, write, and do basic arithmetic before we ever were sent to public schools. I think I entered first grade reading and writing at an 8th grade level and knowing long division. Took until about 8 years old for me to grasp basic algebra. They held back after that point, otherwise we would've had a mind-numbing experience until at least high school. However the school board was made aware that these first graders could be head of the 6th grade class, so we were allowed to freedom to learn other things (and sit in a few other classes once a week - mostly English, math and history). Oh, right. College. That was our responsibility. They would help with loan payments a bit, but they certainly couldn't afford to even put us through a state school. We were expected to get scholarships. If we didn't, well, it was that much more we'd have to borrow. Honestly, I can't blame them. We were certainly a lower-class family. They couldn't afford to move near a nice school district, private schools, or help with private colleges, so they decided to get us WAY ahead of the curve (even though I have memories of crying because at 3 years old I was having obvious difficulties with multiplication. ultimately we were incentivized with spare change). Even then, the nice school districts aren't all that great. What my folks did will still allow any child to get far ahead of any child in the best private schools in your area. In the end we ended up with extremely large scholarships (that I didn't bother with because I'd still have to take out the equivalent of a home mortgage) and teenage years with an enormous amount of free time. Cost to my parents who only had a high school degree (mom) and a GED (dad)? Some of their free time every night.
    - gridspy 17y ago
      Cool story, it is good to look back on your childhood and be proud of the decisions your parents made. As a parent though, you have to remember that even basic play has a very high value to children. My little 2.75 yr old has dinosaurs in the bath and can count one, two, three, four, lots. He knows the lifecycle of the butterfly. But I'd much rather that he did what some might consider "useless play" and mastered his social skills and self confidence than any curriculum ideas such as maths or reading. Those can wait until he is ready, though he is a very engaged and switched on little boy. I think that forcing your children to do certain things that you expect from a 10yr old now is just ruining their childhood and can reduce their delight in learning new things. So be careful whose advice you take, even mine.

huherto 17y ago

You probably know this already, but it if you dream of eventually doing a start up make sure to keep your expenses under control now. Your expenses tend to grow along your paycheck. It can be really hard to downsize if you decide to go the start up route.

mikepurvis 17y ago
I agree with this. Even if your paycheque is $5k a month, practice living on half of that or less—maybe a lot less. It won't hurt to save the rest anyway.
- sailormoon 17y ago
  Agree, agree, 100x agree! You do not need a BMW, buy a corolla. You do not need the loft, live in the cheapest decent unit you can find. Don't get into the showy lifestyle trap.
  - eru 17y ago
    If you live in Europe (or New York), you don't even need a car.
    - gcheong 17y ago
      Or San Francisco, or Tokyo...
      - derwiki 17y ago
        and for everything else, there's ZipCar (I just sold my car :)
- ojbyrne 17y ago
  One of the rules of thumb I heard somewhere and try to do (though it's pretty damn hard) is to save 1/3 of your gross salary.
  - jasonkester 17y ago
    I don't have a rule of thumb, but my actual number is usually more like 2/3 of gross saved. It helps to have the car paid for and not have a mortgage or apartment lease though.
    - ojbyrne 17y ago
      That seems impossible for me - taxes and other deductions are over a third of my gross salary.
      - potatolicious 17y ago
        Ditto, my taxes are about a third of my gross, but I do save about half of my net, making for about a 1/3 savings rate overall. Honestly, I haven't hut to cut on many things to get here, so I'm pretty happy about it. One key thing has enabled this: No car. None, no desire for one. I pay extra to live centrally in the city near good public transit, but the extra I've paid (compared to living in a burb) is a tiny fraction of the cost of car ownership. By my estimates that alone gets me an extra 10% savings rate at the very least. I have all the spare cash in the world to travel, buy cool toys without ever digging into the rainy day/startup fund. Being childless certainly helps, too.
        ojbyrne 17y ago
        Yes, I mostly save "about" a third. The hard part is getting to above a third consistently. I agree with the car part, but with the proviso that it doesn't work so well when suddenly you end up with a job in some industrial park that doesn't have good public transit.
        17y ago
brlewis 17y ago
I agree, and will add that kids are expensive, especially if you want good education. "Ramen profitable" is a lot harder to reach when your life gets to that point.
- MrFoof 17y ago
  > agree, and will add that kids are expensive, especially if you want good education. These factors aren't linked if you're willing to put in the effort. When growing up we lived in one of the worst parts of the state regarding school districts. Parents began to teach us how to read, write, and do basic arithmetic before we ever were sent to public schools. I think I entered first grade reading and writing at an 8th grade level and knowing long division. Took until about 8 years old for me to grasp basic algebra. They held back after that point, otherwise we would've had a mind-numbing experience until at least high school. However the school board was made aware that these first graders could be head of the 6th grade class, so we were allowed to freedom to learn other things (and sit in a few other classes once a week - mostly English, math and history). Oh, right. College. That was our responsibility. They would help with loan payments a bit, but they certainly couldn't afford to even put us through a state school. We were expected to get scholarships. If we didn't, well, it was that much more we'd have to borrow. Honestly, I can't blame them. We were certainly a lower-class family. They couldn't afford to move near a nice school district, private schools, or help with private colleges, so they decided to get us WAY ahead of the curve (even though I have memories of crying because at 3 years old I was having obvious difficulties with multiplication. ultimately we were incentivized with spare change). Even then, the nice school districts aren't all that great. What my folks did will still allow any child to get far ahead of any child in the best private schools in your area. In the end we ended up with extremely large scholarships (that I didn't bother with because I'd still have to take out the equivalent of a home mortgage) and teenage years with an enormous amount of free time. Cost to my parents who only had a high school degree (mom) and a GED (dad)? Some of their free time every night.
  - gridspy 17y ago
    Cool story, it is good to look back on your childhood and be proud of the decisions your parents made. As a parent though, you have to remember that even basic play has a very high value to children. My little 2.75 yr old has dinosaurs in the bath and can count one, two, three, four, lots. He knows the lifecycle of the butterfly. But I'd much rather that he did what some might consider "useless play" and mastered his social skills and self confidence than any curriculum ideas such as maths or reading. Those can wait until he is ready, though he is a very engaged and switched on little boy. I think that forcing your children to do certain things that you expect from a 10yr old now is just ruining their childhood and can reduce their delight in learning new things. So be careful whose advice you take, even mine.