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This is exactly why I've concluded trying to go my own way is the best long-term plan for me. Before learning about YC and HN and such, the thought never really

This is exactly why I've concluded trying to go my own way is the best long-term plan for me. Before learning about YC and HN and such, the thought never really occurred to me. When I'm working on a personal project I'm really passionate about, my productivity is literally orders of magnitude higher than at any day job I've had. Months or years are compressed into days. For any ambitious personal project that I'm intrinsically motivated by, I'm working on it and designing it pretty much every free moment I have. It's actually crazy to me how much I can get done if there's absolutely zero "ugh field" [1] inhibiting me. It doesn't feel like work at all. I'd happily take 20% of my current salary if it meant I could do that all day instead. Even if it's stressful and even if I might fail miserably, I think life should be lived. If there's even the tiniest sliver of a chance that I could support myself just doing something like that, I know I'd be much happier. And if turning such a thing into a job or organization sucks the fun out of it, then I'll just keep trying again and again until I can find a project with a sufficiently viable enjoyment:financial stability ratio. [1] https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/EFQ3F6kmt4WHXRqik/ugh-fields https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/EFQ3F6kmt4WHXRqik/ugh-fields (Regarding the author's username: yes, it's that one.)

ProjectArcturis 5y ago
I think you're correctly responding to incentives. If your hard work created a new product line for the company you work for, that made them millions, how much of that would you get? Close to 0%. So why should you work full-out for someone else?
degrews 5y ago
> This is exactly why I've concluded trying to go my own way is the best long-term plan for me. Before learning about YC and HN and such, the thought never really occurred to me. Interesting. It also didn't really occur to me that being an employee might just not be for me, until I read this comment on HN over a year ago https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22520709 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22520709. Although the reasoning is a somewhat different from yours. Excerpt: > The reality is that if you care about your craft a tiny bit more than average, you will most likely end up feeling that you are overpaid for trivial work, that you could do so much more for the company, that your coworkers and hierarchy are apathetic to things that do not directly affect them (and will seek to avoid any change as much as possible). The more you stay in this situation, the likelier you are to burn out. > If you are that kind of person, then you need to GTFO and start your own thing - have your own skin in the game
- tspike 5y ago
  I'd love to do that, but health insurance in the US makes it a nonstarter.
  - whb07 5y ago
    Cash is still king and joining something like kaiser is like $230/month for sub 30 yo.
    - tspike 5y ago
      Unfortunately, not nearly as affordable for a sole breadwinner supporting a family.
      - meowface 5y ago
        Indeed. I'm fortunate (or not, depending on one's perspective) in that I'm single and have no dependents. I pretty much only spend money on rent and food, and I'm more than happy living in a very tiny place with just a bed and a bathroom. (As long as it's a quiet place I'm not sharing and has a decent internet connection.)
  - ljoshua 5y ago
    This really isn't as true as it's made out to be. I've done it, and with four dependents in tow as well. If you currently work for a big company (or really any company with >50 employees if I recall) you can qualify to take COBRA when you leave. Doing so is expensive, sure, but it's really usually about the same price as private insurance but much better (because it's a group plan). You can elect COBRA for up to 18 months, or 24 in some cases. When COBRA runs out and you aren't yet in a position where you can have the organization you've founded pay for it, you can either look at joining a PEO or you can simply buy private insurance. Yep, it's definitely not great, but it is coverage. Additionally, if you are doing your own thing, look into setting up an HRA for yourself/your company--it lets the company pay for your medical costs without even when you're buying private insurance. Not sure how to pay for it out of the gate when you might be pre-revenue for a while? You still have a couple of options. First, saving specifically for this use case makes a lot of sense. Even better, if you are currently in an HSA-compatible plan at work, max out the account for the year because you can use HSA savings to pay for premiums. Or if you have a spouse or SO and can hop on their plan for a while, good call too. In general, and speaking from the position of someone who has spent far more time than I wish to admit building models and forecasting health expenses for when I was on private insurance and doing my own thing, it can be done. The freedom was definitely worth the price.
granshaw 5y ago
This is me, but maybe to a lesser extent. I tried doing my own thing but couldn’t keep at it after about 8 months. I think the key is to at least have your expenses covered by your business. I couldn’t stand seeing my savings and retirement-fodder continue to dwindle even though I had plenty left in the bank. Found a part-time job and now my days are less fun but also less stressed
tothecore13423 5y ago
> Regarding the author's username: yes, it's that one. Curious to know who the author is or what he is famous for? I searched his posts, it looks like there were no post for a decade before last year.
- meowface 5y ago
  Roko, of "Roko's basilisk". He himself isn't really famous, but due to the infamous reaction his post on the subject received, his username will probably be etched into the history books for centuries. (Or at least a few fiction and non-fiction books here and there.)

ProjectArcturis 5y ago

I think you're correctly responding to incentives. If your hard work created a new product line for the company you work for, that made them millions, how much of that would you get? Close to 0%. So why should you work full-out for someone else?

degrews 5y ago

> This is exactly why I've concluded trying to go my own way is the best long-term plan for me. Before learning about YC and HN and such, the thought never really occurred to me. Interesting. It also didn't really occur to me that being an employee might just not be for me, until I read this comment on HN over a year ago https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22520709 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22520709. Although the reasoning is a somewhat different from yours. Excerpt: > The reality is that if you care about your craft a tiny bit more than average, you will most likely end up feeling that you are overpaid for trivial work, that you could do so much more for the company, that your coworkers and hierarchy are apathetic to things that do not directly affect them (and will seek to avoid any change as much as possible). The more you stay in this situation, the likelier you are to burn out. > If you are that kind of person, then you need to GTFO and start your own thing - have your own skin in the game

tspike 5y ago
I'd love to do that, but health insurance in the US makes it a nonstarter.
- whb07 5y ago
  Cash is still king and joining something like kaiser is like $230/month for sub 30 yo.
  - tspike 5y ago
    Unfortunately, not nearly as affordable for a sole breadwinner supporting a family.
    - meowface 5y ago
      Indeed. I'm fortunate (or not, depending on one's perspective) in that I'm single and have no dependents. I pretty much only spend money on rent and food, and I'm more than happy living in a very tiny place with just a bed and a bathroom. (As long as it's a quiet place I'm not sharing and has a decent internet connection.)
- ljoshua 5y ago
  This really isn't as true as it's made out to be. I've done it, and with four dependents in tow as well. If you currently work for a big company (or really any company with >50 employees if I recall) you can qualify to take COBRA when you leave. Doing so is expensive, sure, but it's really usually about the same price as private insurance but much better (because it's a group plan). You can elect COBRA for up to 18 months, or 24 in some cases. When COBRA runs out and you aren't yet in a position where you can have the organization you've founded pay for it, you can either look at joining a PEO or you can simply buy private insurance. Yep, it's definitely not great, but it is coverage. Additionally, if you are doing your own thing, look into setting up an HRA for yourself/your company--it lets the company pay for your medical costs without even when you're buying private insurance. Not sure how to pay for it out of the gate when you might be pre-revenue for a while? You still have a couple of options. First, saving specifically for this use case makes a lot of sense. Even better, if you are currently in an HSA-compatible plan at work, max out the account for the year because you can use HSA savings to pay for premiums. Or if you have a spouse or SO and can hop on their plan for a while, good call too. In general, and speaking from the position of someone who has spent far more time than I wish to admit building models and forecasting health expenses for when I was on private insurance and doing my own thing, it can be done. The freedom was definitely worth the price.

granshaw 5y ago

This is me, but maybe to a lesser extent. I tried doing my own thing but couldn’t keep at it after about 8 months. I think the key is to at least have your expenses covered by your business. I couldn’t stand seeing my savings and retirement-fodder continue to dwindle even though I had plenty left in the bank. Found a part-time job and now my days are less fun but also less stressed

tothecore13423 5y ago

> Regarding the author's username: yes, it's that one. Curious to know who the author is or what he is famous for? I searched his posts, it looks like there were no post for a decade before last year.

meowface 5y ago
Roko, of "Roko's basilisk". He himself isn't really famous, but due to the infamous reaction his post on the subject received, his username will probably be etched into the history books for centuries. (Or at least a few fiction and non-fiction books here and there.)