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I honestly can't understand why this would shock anyone with experience in engineering. As a senior developer, I'm vastly more able to realize ideas than I was

I honestly can't understand why this would shock anyone with experience in engineering. As a senior developer, I'm vastly more able to realize ideas than I was even three years ago. I also know vastly more. I'm able to understand cutting-edge systems and language research that I couldn't before. I'm able to design systems quickly and more reliably. I'm able to separate good ideas from bad ideas more reliably. I'm better with people and managing my own ego, and therefore able to navigate interpersonal situations more reliably. I'm also financially stable and have deep savings, so I'm able to take time off to pursue ideas more reliably. After a few more years, particularly as I gain leadership experience, I expect to be even more effective. There's literally no down-side to getting older in terms of my ability to bootstrap a successful company.

sleet 9y ago
I agree but there's probably a limit on that sentiment. If you start a family you are likely to become more risk adverse, this would increase again as you approach retirement.
- drawkbox 9y ago
  On the flipside, kids can add immense motivation and drive. Also you can dictate your schedule more to spend more time with kids/family if you work from home more. I went independent/entrepreneur full on when my son was starting high school, I wish I had done it earlier and done more projects/products for myself earlier.
- watwut 9y ago
  Maybe the young risk too much. In that case, being more risk averse could be statistical advantage. There seems to be persistent underlying assumption that more risk taking is always better, that is unlikely to be true. Optimal risk taking amount is not necessary "highest possible".
- codazoda 9y ago
  True, but ~45 may be a golden age again. By then your kids may be starting to becoming self sufficient, retirement is still 20 years off, and you've lived through a fair number of financial problems. Your retirement plans might be coming together and the world is starting to look more rosey. Plus, you find yourself feeling like you're nearing the end of your "youth"; you're aged but you still feel good. Perhaps you become less worried about the risk and you're well trained and ready to take on a complex challenge. I can dream.
  - deepGem 9y ago
    I more or less left full time work when I was 39 to pursue startups. The reasoning was exactly on the lines of what you have described. It's been 2 years and the journey has been fraught with failures. One, it's become really hard for me to find a co-founder. Almost none of the guys in my friend circle are willing to take the risks associated with startups. I've attended a pre-accelerator to find a co-founders but haven't had any luck in finding the right person. Two, I'm just getting lazy because of the financial cushion. I mean, it's not much but still some sort of lethargy has set in since I don't have a pressing problem to solve. Until I get to the stage where things kick off, I bet this is going to be the norm. On one hand I have a financial cushion, on the other I know that the cushion won't mean much in the next 10 years. So, I'm constantly thinking about self sufficiency down the line. So, a combination of no cofounder + no exponential idea + procrastination = My life has become quite miserable. I mean, sure on the surface I project an image of it's all good, if you know what I mean.
    - CalRobert 9y ago
      Sorry to hear it, but thank you for sharing. It's likely people with your experience are less likely to share it than those who've been successful and I worry it gives a skewed view of the likelihood that a startup will make you happier. One question - have you only looked at "exponential ideas"? Maybe there's a small but reasonably profitable endeavour out there - a lifestyle business?
      - deepGem 9y ago
        "Maybe there's a small but reasonably profitable endeavour out there" I am actually thinking about just this. Let's see.
    - shaqbert 9y ago
      Sounds like you need a young gun co-founder to complement your expertise with the energy and enthusiasm of youth.
    - tixocloud 9y ago
- jknoepfler 9y ago
  I can certainly concede that achieving "ramen profitability" while living off savings is substantially less exciting while trying to pay down a mortgage and save up for one's childrens' college tuition.
  - sanderjd 9y ago
    > while trying to pay down a mortgage I don't really get this. I just recently bought a house. Paying down my mortgage is just a bit more expensive than renting my apartment was. Leases are a year long, I think I could sell my house within that period of time, and we wouldn't need to ask our landlord's permission. Why is a mortgage strictly worse for living off of savings?
    - jstandard 9y ago
      > Paying down my mortgage is just a bit more expensive than renting my apartment was. Unless you already have a substantial nest egg or took out an expensive mortgage, your life savings were substantially reduced by the down payment. In addition to a more expensive monthly payment there are property taxes, maintenance costs ($ and time), HOA fees, and other burdens depending on your region and property type.
    - tytytytytytytyt 9y ago
      What do you do if the neighborhood or market changes and you really can't sell your house after a year? > Paying down my mortgage is just a bit more expensive than renting my apartment was. That might depend on where you are and other factors. > Why is a mortgage strictly worse for living off of savings? Maybe it's not and people are just hedging their bets?
    - Swizec 9y ago
      > Why is a mortgage strictly worse for living off of savings? It’s not strictly worse but I assume it feels like a bigger commitment with more disastrous consequences should anything go wrong? Foreclose on your house, your biggest asset is gone. That thing you worked for for so long. Get kicked out of rented place. Eh, wasn’t yours anyway. Find smaller one or in a worse location, which you can afford. Either way in my case buying is strictly worse because I can’t afford the down payment so there’s really just one option. Well, one comfortable option. I could always go homeless I guess. Would save me a lot per month ...
- ojbyrne 9y ago
  Not everybody starts a family. In fact, in terms of the “traditional family,” it’s not even a majority anymore. http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/12/17/1-the-american-family-today/ http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/12/17/1-the-american-fam...
shubhamjain 9y ago
I think you're missing the bigger point. Most people work on problems that they've seen or experienced. For the young, it tends to be dating, social media, or some sort of e-commerce. They chase trends and hype. When you gain experience, you get exposed to an entirely different set of problems—problems with workflow, business processes, and general efficiency. Problems where you can deliver real value. This was brilliantly expressed in this blog post [1]. Both the young and the old, stand at a disadvantage. Experienced folks have a better idea about worthy problems, but they're shackled with liabilities and lack of time commitment. Young people have a lot more freedom, but they don't have a good idea about the problems that are worth it. [1]: http://000fff.org/the-problem-with-problems/ http://000fff.org/the-problem-with-problems/
austincheney 9y ago
The youth buzz has nothing to do with engineering potential. Young people tend to be more free of external responsibilities: marriage, children, job contracts, consumer debt, professional associations, expensive educational entanglements, and so forth. This makes young people more available to take giant risks with less apprehension (they have less to lose). There is also giant marketing buzz when an uneducated 18 year old female creates something vaguely interesting, but nobody cares when a 45 year old man creates something absolutely revolutionary until they old it in their hands. Case in point: Elizabeth Holmes.
- gexla 9y ago
  > This makes young people more available to take giant risks with less apprehension (they have less to lose). Is this a contradiction? How can there be risk if there's nothing to lose?
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - Infernal 9y ago
    Maybe a valid rephrasing would be "This makes young people more able to take actions that older folks with more obligations would consider to be giant risks".
- guylepage3 9y ago
  I used to think the same way but what I have witnessed over the years is that my entrepreneur friends who are married with children tend to be just as risk taking as young single ones. I feel entrepreneurship is a mentality. Entrepreneurs will always take risk where they see opportunity. The risk just seems to become less foolhardy as they get older. No stats on this just an observation.
  - georgeecollins 9y ago
    I don't think the poster is talking about propensity to entrepreneurship. I think the poster is talking about the propensity to generate media buzz. Young people make appealing subjects and it is exciting when they are smart and ambitious.
wellboy 9y ago
Yes, but you also already have a more limited idea space, because you are not really trying crazy ideas, while the young think everything's possible.

sleet 9y ago

I agree but there's probably a limit on that sentiment. If you start a family you are likely to become more risk adverse, this would increase again as you approach retirement.

drawkbox 9y ago
On the flipside, kids can add immense motivation and drive. Also you can dictate your schedule more to spend more time with kids/family if you work from home more. I went independent/entrepreneur full on when my son was starting high school, I wish I had done it earlier and done more projects/products for myself earlier.
watwut 9y ago
Maybe the young risk too much. In that case, being more risk averse could be statistical advantage. There seems to be persistent underlying assumption that more risk taking is always better, that is unlikely to be true. Optimal risk taking amount is not necessary "highest possible".
codazoda 9y ago
True, but ~45 may be a golden age again. By then your kids may be starting to becoming self sufficient, retirement is still 20 years off, and you've lived through a fair number of financial problems. Your retirement plans might be coming together and the world is starting to look more rosey. Plus, you find yourself feeling like you're nearing the end of your "youth"; you're aged but you still feel good. Perhaps you become less worried about the risk and you're well trained and ready to take on a complex challenge. I can dream.
- deepGem 9y ago
  I more or less left full time work when I was 39 to pursue startups. The reasoning was exactly on the lines of what you have described. It's been 2 years and the journey has been fraught with failures. One, it's become really hard for me to find a co-founder. Almost none of the guys in my friend circle are willing to take the risks associated with startups. I've attended a pre-accelerator to find a co-founders but haven't had any luck in finding the right person. Two, I'm just getting lazy because of the financial cushion. I mean, it's not much but still some sort of lethargy has set in since I don't have a pressing problem to solve. Until I get to the stage where things kick off, I bet this is going to be the norm. On one hand I have a financial cushion, on the other I know that the cushion won't mean much in the next 10 years. So, I'm constantly thinking about self sufficiency down the line. So, a combination of no cofounder + no exponential idea + procrastination = My life has become quite miserable. I mean, sure on the surface I project an image of it's all good, if you know what I mean.
  - CalRobert 9y ago
    Sorry to hear it, but thank you for sharing. It's likely people with your experience are less likely to share it than those who've been successful and I worry it gives a skewed view of the likelihood that a startup will make you happier. One question - have you only looked at "exponential ideas"? Maybe there's a small but reasonably profitable endeavour out there - a lifestyle business?
    - deepGem 9y ago
      "Maybe there's a small but reasonably profitable endeavour out there" I am actually thinking about just this. Let's see.
  - shaqbert 9y ago
    Sounds like you need a young gun co-founder to complement your expertise with the energy and enthusiasm of youth.
  - tixocloud 9y ago
jknoepfler 9y ago
I can certainly concede that achieving "ramen profitability" while living off savings is substantially less exciting while trying to pay down a mortgage and save up for one's childrens' college tuition.
- sanderjd 9y ago
  > while trying to pay down a mortgage I don't really get this. I just recently bought a house. Paying down my mortgage is just a bit more expensive than renting my apartment was. Leases are a year long, I think I could sell my house within that period of time, and we wouldn't need to ask our landlord's permission. Why is a mortgage strictly worse for living off of savings?
  - jstandard 9y ago
    > Paying down my mortgage is just a bit more expensive than renting my apartment was. Unless you already have a substantial nest egg or took out an expensive mortgage, your life savings were substantially reduced by the down payment. In addition to a more expensive monthly payment there are property taxes, maintenance costs ($ and time), HOA fees, and other burdens depending on your region and property type.
  - tytytytytytytyt 9y ago
    What do you do if the neighborhood or market changes and you really can't sell your house after a year? > Paying down my mortgage is just a bit more expensive than renting my apartment was. That might depend on where you are and other factors. > Why is a mortgage strictly worse for living off of savings? Maybe it's not and people are just hedging their bets?
  - Swizec 9y ago
    > Why is a mortgage strictly worse for living off of savings? It’s not strictly worse but I assume it feels like a bigger commitment with more disastrous consequences should anything go wrong? Foreclose on your house, your biggest asset is gone. That thing you worked for for so long. Get kicked out of rented place. Eh, wasn’t yours anyway. Find smaller one or in a worse location, which you can afford. Either way in my case buying is strictly worse because I can’t afford the down payment so there’s really just one option. Well, one comfortable option. I could always go homeless I guess. Would save me a lot per month ...
ojbyrne 9y ago
Not everybody starts a family. In fact, in terms of the “traditional family,” it’s not even a majority anymore. http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/12/17/1-the-american-family-today/ http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/12/17/1-the-american-fam...

shubhamjain 9y ago

I think you're missing the bigger point. Most people work on problems that they've seen or experienced. For the young, it tends to be dating, social media, or some sort of e-commerce. They chase trends and hype. When you gain experience, you get exposed to an entirely different set of problems—problems with workflow, business processes, and general efficiency. Problems where you can deliver real value. This was brilliantly expressed in this blog post [1]. Both the young and the old, stand at a disadvantage. Experienced folks have a better idea about worthy problems, but they're shackled with liabilities and lack of time commitment. Young people have a lot more freedom, but they don't have a good idea about the problems that are worth it. [1]: http://000fff.org/the-problem-with-problems/ http://000fff.org/the-problem-with-problems/

austincheney 9y ago

The youth buzz has nothing to do with engineering potential. Young people tend to be more free of external responsibilities: marriage, children, job contracts, consumer debt, professional associations, expensive educational entanglements, and so forth. This makes young people more available to take giant risks with less apprehension (they have less to lose). There is also giant marketing buzz when an uneducated 18 year old female creates something vaguely interesting, but nobody cares when a 45 year old man creates something absolutely revolutionary until they old it in their hands. Case in point: Elizabeth Holmes.

gexla 9y ago
> This makes young people more available to take giant risks with less apprehension (they have less to lose). Is this a contradiction? How can there be risk if there's nothing to lose?
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- Infernal 9y ago
  Maybe a valid rephrasing would be "This makes young people more able to take actions that older folks with more obligations would consider to be giant risks".
guylepage3 9y ago
I used to think the same way but what I have witnessed over the years is that my entrepreneur friends who are married with children tend to be just as risk taking as young single ones. I feel entrepreneurship is a mentality. Entrepreneurs will always take risk where they see opportunity. The risk just seems to become less foolhardy as they get older. No stats on this just an observation.
- georgeecollins 9y ago
  I don't think the poster is talking about propensity to entrepreneurship. I think the poster is talking about the propensity to generate media buzz. Young people make appealing subjects and it is exciting when they are smart and ambitious.

wellboy 9y ago

Yes, but you also already have a more limited idea space, because you are not really trying crazy ideas, while the young think everything's possible.