> Why don't we choose to use our rare skills for our own profit You certainly could, but if you're referring to building a business, you may find that it's act

> Why don't we choose to use our rare skills for our own profit You certainly could, but if you're referring to building a business, you may find that it's actually a different skill set than being an engineer. I learned this by experiencing it. I left my job in ad tech at Yahoo to start my own ad tech company. I tried to hack my way to success for 4 years (occasionally contracting to replenish savings) and still couldn't pay myself a salary. Even when I got to that point, I instead decided to hire an engineer and began to "work on the business." Only then was I able to grow revenue and build a team. I would guess that it takes a solid 5-10 years to become a really good engineer. It probably takes the same amount of time to become a good businessperson. My friends who stayed in engineering (at top companies) definitely make more money than I do. I definitely feel that the grind I've gone through has been powerfully rewarding and I appreciate the autonomy that I finally have (taking days off with nobody to answer to, giving myself a bonus if I feel I deserve it, taking moonshots). It's all about what you want. Nothing wrong with being an engineer and getting a fatcat salary. Sometimes I wonder if that would have been an easier path, but I also know I'd be wondering about the opposite if I took it.