When I started reading this I thought it was going to suck. I thought he'd rant on big companies employees and make startup founders seem cool because of his ba

When I started reading this I thought it was going to suck. I thought he'd rant on big companies employees and make startup founders seem cool because of his background. When I was about half way through it started to change; what Paul said really made a lot of sense. I want to be a researcher, but I also want to make somewhat of a living before getting a masters degree and stuff; so I can be completely independent. I thought joining a big company would be a good start because it would pay me good, I would be able to learn stuff and they could even help me out with my masters degree. What hadn't hit me up until now is that, by doing that, I wasn't getting closer to my goal to be independent. I would just switch from the parent tree to the company tree; different pressures, but the same dependence. I start to think now that in order to be independent, to have the freedom of doing what pleases you most, you have to start your own company. You have to be your own means of survival. That's getting into the wild and finally living in a democracy. I'm disgressing a little now, but it's because of this thing someone told me once. He made me realise that we actually live in a dictatorship most of the time. Your parents tell you what to do, then your boss tells you what to do; and you have very little say. In order to feel more like your opinions matter and that you can actually do something about the world, I guess you have to have the freedom to be able to say what you want, to code what you want, etc. So, in the end, I was surprised. Very good article, as Paul usually writes.