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It isn’t going well yet from a financial perspective, but he writes this: “People have asked me if I’m still happy with my decision to quit and start my own co

by nlh 7y ago

It isn’t going well yet from a financial perspective, but he writes this: “People have asked me if I’m still happy with my decision to quit and start my own company. The answer is definitely yes. As someone who has always valued independence, I love being a solo developer. It makes a world of difference to wake up whenever I want and make my own choices about how to spend my entire day. This is how I want to live the rest of my life.” From a life-satisfaction perspective, it sounds like it’s going extremely well! (And that’s WAY more important, at least to me.)

jka 7y ago
As someone currently in a similar situation to the article author, I can wholeheartedly agree that regaining your own agency and being able to determine technology and product decisions is a huge relief and opens up greatly enjoyable and satisfying opportunities for growth. Developing a product takes a lot of time and effort, especially for a small/solo team - and yes, by pure financial metrics it may seem like success is a long distance away. In much of the world it also takes a degree of good individual (or family) fortune and savings to be able to embark on a journey like this, and I think it's important to be aware of that privilege. That's not a criticism, but something worth keeping in mind especially when discussing and explaining these projects. Not everyone in society can make this kind of leap (despite what those who tend to profit from inspiring and leading bright young developers might tell us) due to the anxiety involved in paying recurring bills. This is even more true in the U.S. with the additional bundled decision complexity (HMO vs PPO, etc.) and financial cost of selecting and paying for healthcare, versus taking the gamble that you'll be one of the lucky members of society not to require medical care. Well-educated and well-compensated folks such as the audience of HN are likely among the people most able to take the risks required. Anyway, despite the argument that this might not be an economically rewarding project at the moment: value creation is a different, harder to measure metric, and I'd argue the author is creating value for themselves and for their community they're building tools for. (Upvoted both parents of this reply, since I think this is a really important and interesting trend and topic, regardless of any argument positions taken)
mtlynch 7y ago
Thanks for reading! > From a life-satisfaction perspective, it sounds like it’s going extremely well! (And that’s WAY more important, at least to me.) Yes, definitely. I haven't found a profitable project yet, but I definitely feel a greater sense of satisfaction with my life overall. I really treasure the feeling of waking up every morning and working on exactly what I want to work on.
2sk21 7y ago
Indeed, if you can achieve financial independence before striking out on your own, you will be able to do it with less stress. There is a lot of available information about the FIRE movement (Financial Independence Retire Early) that worth reading for younger software developers who want to work independently.

by nlh 7y ago

jka 7y ago

As someone currently in a similar situation to the article author, I can wholeheartedly agree that regaining your own agency and being able to determine technology and product decisions is a huge relief and opens up greatly enjoyable and satisfying opportunities for growth. Developing a product takes a lot of time and effort, especially for a small/solo team - and yes, by pure financial metrics it may seem like success is a long distance away. In much of the world it also takes a degree of good individual (or family) fortune and savings to be able to embark on a journey like this, and I think it's important to be aware of that privilege. That's not a criticism, but something worth keeping in mind especially when discussing and explaining these projects. Not everyone in society can make this kind of leap (despite what those who tend to profit from inspiring and leading bright young developers might tell us) due to the anxiety involved in paying recurring bills. This is even more true in the U.S. with the additional bundled decision complexity (HMO vs PPO, etc.) and financial cost of selecting and paying for healthcare, versus taking the gamble that you'll be one of the lucky members of society not to require medical care. Well-educated and well-compensated folks such as the audience of HN are likely among the people most able to take the risks required. Anyway, despite the argument that this might not be an economically rewarding project at the moment: value creation is a different, harder to measure metric, and I'd argue the author is creating value for themselves and for their community they're building tools for. (Upvoted both parents of this reply, since I think this is a really important and interesting trend and topic, regardless of any argument positions taken)

mtlynch 7y ago

Thanks for reading! > From a life-satisfaction perspective, it sounds like it’s going extremely well! (And that’s WAY more important, at least to me.) Yes, definitely. I haven't found a profitable project yet, but I definitely feel a greater sense of satisfaction with my life overall. I really treasure the feeling of waking up every morning and working on exactly what I want to work on.

2sk21 7y ago

Indeed, if you can achieve financial independence before striking out on your own, you will be able to do it with less stress. There is a lot of available information about the FIRE movement (Financial Independence Retire Early) that worth reading for younger software developers who want to work independently.