4 ms·

Yeah the focus on exclusively money baffles me. Like cool you get to buy a bigger house and go on some nicer vacations. Depending on the big co, they own you. I

• criley2 7y ago
  On the flip side, working for yourself means the job never ends. As an employee you can do 8 hours at work, 16 hours for yourself. You can drop a project and pick it up the next day. The client is pissed? You're still making your salary. It's up to management to staff correctly, not up to you to kill yourself overworking for a salary and no overtime. When it's just you, and your entire livelihood depends on sucking up to big fish to get that one payday that will float you for the next few months while you find another big fish, the boundaries between work and home dissolve. You feel a constant stress to get projects done and you even lay awake at night terrified of what happens if your next big fish doesn't materialize. Your performance in any one task decreases because you have to wear every hat. You're a good programmer, but are you a good businessman? Advertiser? Hustler? Lawyer? Can you afford a team? Will do you everything yourself? If you're still a kid, don't have debts, don't own property, don't have a family, don't have any roots, the risk/reward and excitement of this chaotic and generally financially ruinous lifestyle could be good or even make you happy. But for many people, the stress of putting your family, your investments, your retirement and ultimately your future on the line is one of the most unhappy things possible. I don't think there is anything wrong with doing your 8 hours to make a living, and then taking the next 8 hours to enrich your life -- not for profit, but for health. Exercise, learning and growing, cooking and entertaining, starting a family, investing in life and happiness outside of coding... it's just notoriously difficult to do these things as an entrepreneur, and all the "big successes" as a rule (with exceptions) are "16 hour workers", as in, 100% of useful waking hours spent on the job.
  • nightski 7y ago
    Honestly that just sounds like someone terrible at managing risk and money! As a self employed individual coming up on 10 years now the first year or two was rough, but if you build up a safety net and properly manage money there are no sleepless nights worrying about the next big fish. It also takes a while to realize that working more than 8/hrs a day is not sustainable. You'll be less productive in the long term. So really even as a self employed individual it's better to work less than a full time job imho.
  • tonyedgecombe 7y ago
    I wish this idea would die. It doesn't need to be like that. It is possible to take a more relaxed approach to your own business just as you might as an employee. Sure some people overwork but that isn't unique to running a business, you will find those people in big companies as well. Also my experience was that having a family, owning a property and being rooted in my location gave me the support I needed to succeed.
  • cambalache 7y ago
    Lots and lots of self employed people are not "working" 24h/day.Where does this myth come from? Is it corporate propaganda?
    • criley2 7y ago
      It's coming from inside the house! https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1067175527180513280 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1067175527180513280 "No one ever changed the world at 40 hours a week" "80 hours minimum, with peaks at 100 hours" A 100 hour week would be 16.6 hours for 6 days and 1 day off, or 14.25 hour days with no days off The idea that entrepreneurs need to work more than 40 hours a week to be successful is as old as our industry, and I'd go so far as to say that those casually working a schedule that looks more like a salaried position are probably "consultants" and aren't really entrepreneurs trying to build something or change something
      • cambalache 7y ago