4 ms·

> That way you have more resources to devote to the idea that you're actually dedicated to. Sometimes the scarce resource is not money, but free time and menta

by shykes 16y ago

> That way you have more resources to devote to the idea that you're actually dedicated to. Sometimes the scarce resource is not money, but free time and mental availability. "Randomly walking around" could increase his chances of bumping into a hidden opportunity. I say go for it.

xaviershay 16y ago
Exactly. I suspect you can't find a dream sitting at a desk. I have plenty of savings, and plenty of earning potential - if I really get stuck (I don't believe likely) I can always pick up another job. Money is a means, not an end.
- jimbokun 16y ago
  "I have plenty of savings..." I think this is the key. You have two years of runway to figure out what to do next (according to the blog). That money in the bank is a lot more security than any job can offer, by itself. Staying in your job for another two years might be the greater risk, when opportunity costs are taken into account.
  - Psyonic 16y ago
    Perhaps... but while the safety net can grant you freedom, it also takes away the need to succeed.
    - xaviershay 16y ago
      I'm feeling this a bit, so I'm keeping an extra eye on things to try and ensure I don't become complacent.
      - Psyonic 16y ago
        Cool. I hope I didn't come across as being overly negative. I actually think what you're doing is awesome! I was just pointing out that a job isn't the only "trap" you can fall into. I know someone who acquired a million dollars in his mid-20's, but I can't say he's really living his dreams because of it. I don't think you'll have too much of a problem, looking at your track record, but it does appear you have to be careful to ensure that "I can do whatever I want" doesn't turn in to "I don't do much of anything."
- thecircusb0y 16y ago
  Cannot money be a means to the end to justify the beginning? I work to pay off my student loans. I think that when my student loans are paid off, and my expenses are significantly lower, I can relieve myself of my job security and either relocate/travel and become a consultant/contractor maybe pursue a more fulfilling job.
- Psyonic 16y ago
  You don't think having large savings is a safety net as well, that could keep you from truly experiencing life? Feeling that thrill of REALLY living on the edge?
potatolicious 16y ago
Seems like a sledgehammer + fly situation. If your job is taking too much out of your spare time and creativity, perhaps the solution is to work less (or work on something less draining), as opposed to calling it quits altogether. I've never seen entrepreneurship as a means to escape a tedious, loathsome working life - it is a means to achieve my dreams, not a refuge from boredom. IMHO if you're striking out on your own solely because you hated your job, perhaps you worked for the wrong people, and your problem isn't with employment in general, but with your employer. I dislike the author's tone on a few points: > "A job is working on someone else’s dream." Bull. I'm working on my dream right now (one of many, but I digress). It's high-impact, and can't be done on my own (even with funding) by sheer virtue of inertia and existing infrastructure. We fought for the idea, proved its worth, and now we get to work on something game-changing, making all the important calls along the way. It's freedom, working with smart people, on your dream, with deep pockets, and the support of an army of equally talented people. > "A job is selling your time." Since when? There are lots of jobs, particularly on this side of the country (um, the west) where your performance is judged by your work and not the time on the clock (if you're even clocked!). I have no "competing motivations" - perhaps an artifact of, oh, working on things I actually desire to complete. I applaud the author for doing things his way - but I wish he didn't have to resort to denigrating the concept of employment to justify his own lifestyle.
- cookiecaper 16y ago
  >"Since when? There are lots of jobs, particularly on this side of the country (um, the west) where your performance is judged by your work and not the time on the clock (if you're even clocked!)." I've found that most places expect at least an eight-hour day out of you, whether you're formally "clocked" or not. I think often that a salaried position is seen as an opportunity for exploitation by bosses. My last job was like that, and my co-workers just ate it up; the bosses demanded ten-hour days and other concessions and everyone just went along because since we were salaried it meant we had to do whatever they said (we were even taken to the boss's house one day to help move furniture) without any prospect of fair compensation, or something like that. I don't really get it. There may be a bit more leniency with breaks and that kind of thing at a salary job, but if you're not there before 9 and you're not still there after 5, and this happens even rarely without prior approval, your bosses aren't going to be pleased. I agree that a job can provide a way for an employee to work on "his dream", but such a situation is incredibly rare, and even rarer is the situation where, when this dream is realized through your work, you'll get due credit and compensation. Working for the man is just an all-around bad deal if you're looking to control your own life or do something big. That's just my opinion. If you're OK with a work-a-day routine, OK with even the possibility of eventual bullying from the bosses, OK with getting paid 1/4 or less of the value you actually generate, then working for someone else permanently may not be so bad, but that's not how I am, and I presume that many of us on HN have similar aversions. I say permanently because I think working for other people can be a good experience, and it's nice to get a significant amount of it under your belt; it helps you understand human dynamics and politics, can accelerate your skills and force you to learn new things, introduce you to cool people, etc., so a job isn't all bad, but I have a very hard time with the idea that I would be stuck working for someone else for the next fifty years.

by shykes 16y ago

xaviershay 16y ago

Exactly. I suspect you can't find a dream sitting at a desk. I have plenty of savings, and plenty of earning potential - if I really get stuck (I don't believe likely) I can always pick up another job. Money is a means, not an end.

jimbokun 16y ago
"I have plenty of savings..." I think this is the key. You have two years of runway to figure out what to do next (according to the blog). That money in the bank is a lot more security than any job can offer, by itself. Staying in your job for another two years might be the greater risk, when opportunity costs are taken into account.
- Psyonic 16y ago
  Perhaps... but while the safety net can grant you freedom, it also takes away the need to succeed.
  - xaviershay 16y ago
    I'm feeling this a bit, so I'm keeping an extra eye on things to try and ensure I don't become complacent.
    - Psyonic 16y ago
      Cool. I hope I didn't come across as being overly negative. I actually think what you're doing is awesome! I was just pointing out that a job isn't the only "trap" you can fall into. I know someone who acquired a million dollars in his mid-20's, but I can't say he's really living his dreams because of it. I don't think you'll have too much of a problem, looking at your track record, but it does appear you have to be careful to ensure that "I can do whatever I want" doesn't turn in to "I don't do much of anything."
thecircusb0y 16y ago
Cannot money be a means to the end to justify the beginning? I work to pay off my student loans. I think that when my student loans are paid off, and my expenses are significantly lower, I can relieve myself of my job security and either relocate/travel and become a consultant/contractor maybe pursue a more fulfilling job.
Psyonic 16y ago
You don't think having large savings is a safety net as well, that could keep you from truly experiencing life? Feeling that thrill of REALLY living on the edge?

potatolicious 16y ago

Seems like a sledgehammer + fly situation. If your job is taking too much out of your spare time and creativity, perhaps the solution is to work less (or work on something less draining), as opposed to calling it quits altogether. I've never seen entrepreneurship as a means to escape a tedious, loathsome working life - it is a means to achieve my dreams, not a refuge from boredom. IMHO if you're striking out on your own solely because you hated your job, perhaps you worked for the wrong people, and your problem isn't with employment in general, but with your employer. I dislike the author's tone on a few points: > "A job is working on someone else’s dream." Bull. I'm working on my dream right now (one of many, but I digress). It's high-impact, and can't be done on my own (even with funding) by sheer virtue of inertia and existing infrastructure. We fought for the idea, proved its worth, and now we get to work on something game-changing, making all the important calls along the way. It's freedom, working with smart people, on your dream, with deep pockets, and the support of an army of equally talented people. > "A job is selling your time." Since when? There are lots of jobs, particularly on this side of the country (um, the west) where your performance is judged by your work and not the time on the clock (if you're even clocked!). I have no "competing motivations" - perhaps an artifact of, oh, working on things I actually desire to complete. I applaud the author for doing things his way - but I wish he didn't have to resort to denigrating the concept of employment to justify his own lifestyle.

cookiecaper 16y ago
>"Since when? There are lots of jobs, particularly on this side of the country (um, the west) where your performance is judged by your work and not the time on the clock (if you're even clocked!)." I've found that most places expect at least an eight-hour day out of you, whether you're formally "clocked" or not. I think often that a salaried position is seen as an opportunity for exploitation by bosses. My last job was like that, and my co-workers just ate it up; the bosses demanded ten-hour days and other concessions and everyone just went along because since we were salaried it meant we had to do whatever they said (we were even taken to the boss's house one day to help move furniture) without any prospect of fair compensation, or something like that. I don't really get it. There may be a bit more leniency with breaks and that kind of thing at a salary job, but if you're not there before 9 and you're not still there after 5, and this happens even rarely without prior approval, your bosses aren't going to be pleased. I agree that a job can provide a way for an employee to work on "his dream", but such a situation is incredibly rare, and even rarer is the situation where, when this dream is realized through your work, you'll get due credit and compensation. Working for the man is just an all-around bad deal if you're looking to control your own life or do something big. That's just my opinion. If you're OK with a work-a-day routine, OK with even the possibility of eventual bullying from the bosses, OK with getting paid 1/4 or less of the value you actually generate, then working for someone else permanently may not be so bad, but that's not how I am, and I presume that many of us on HN have similar aversions. I say permanently because I think working for other people can be a good experience, and it's nice to get a significant amount of it under your belt; it helps you understand human dynamics and politics, can accelerate your skills and force you to learn new things, introduce you to cool people, etc., so a job isn't all bad, but I have a very hard time with the idea that I would be stuck working for someone else for the next fifty years.