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Without taking anything away from the article, it's worth noting that running a software business absolutely can provide one with a great lifestyle. More so th

Without taking anything away from the article, it's worth noting that running a software business absolutely can provide one with a great lifestyle. More so than pretty much any other profession I can think of. The lifestyle I wanted: pretty much as close to zero required work as possible, the ability to do said negligible work from anywhere I feel like parking myself (preferably with good rock climbing), enough money to live comfortably there. Absolutely achievable, with a couple years of effort (and achieved, by the way.) Try doing that in any other high-paid, high-prestige profession (Doctor, Lawyer, Banker, whatever). Can't do it. Too much doctoring, lawyering, etc. taking up all your time. Sure, you can set up your own practice, staff up, and eventually get the thing running on autopilot. But certainly not in your spare time after work, and definitely not for a few hundred dollars, all in. So yeah, set your goals right and you'll find you've chosen the one industry where you really can own that coffeeshop.

jimboyoungblood 15y ago
yes, you will be able to own that coffee shop, but you won't want to. being their landlord is a better way to go. also, i don't think software is viewed as a "high-prestige" profession.
- bh42222 15y ago
  also, i don't think software is viewed as a "high-prestige" profession. It really depends on where in the world you are.
  - jimboyoungblood 15y ago
    i don't know about other countries, but being a software developer is not high-status anywhere in the united states. i lived many years in sf and mountain view. even there, being a "product manager" is higher status than "software developer" or "engineer".
    - aaronblohowiak 15y ago
      Higher status, but often paid less.
      - timcederman 15y ago
        Sometimes, not often.
    - ido 15y ago
      It is considered quite high prestige in Israel (as does working in high-tech/engineering in general).
- patio11 15y ago
  Writing letters isn't high-prestige either, which is why lawyers don't describe their job as writing letters all day. Learn from their example.
  - pacemkr 15y ago
    I've been thinking about this. Saying "I'm a software developer" just doesn't communicate what I do, even though programming is... well, what I do. Thanks for reframing the problem succinctly. You thought about this, so how do you describe your profession?
    - patio11 15y ago
      Mine specifically? "I helped two million kids learn to read last year" or "Occasionally, companies fly me out to them so that I can work for a week or three and make them several million dollars. The other 40 weeks of the year I keep myself amused." Back when I was doing software development every day, the answer was something closer to "You know X university? I make sure their entrance exams run smoothly." For a generic software developer, "I make my employer absolute piles of money by being clever in the general vicinity of a computer."
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
    - efsavage 15y ago
      patio11's answers are cute, but if you say things like that you'll probably just end up defending yourself against people's misinterpretations. "So you're a teacher?" or "You mean like a security guard?" I think the best approach is a middle ground, rather than say what you are, or what the ultimate result is, just say what you _do_. "I build websites" or "I build iphone applications" or "I run servers and networks" is something accessible that people can comfortably take wherever they want, e.g. "what language?" or "oh, i just downloaded this cool app that ..."
      - tptacek 15y ago
        His cute answer is safer than mine, which is "I rob banks." You need to internalize something about marketing. When Patrick says, "I helped 2 million kids learn how to read", he has framed the conversation in terms of the value proposition he wants to talk about. Statistically speaking, "nobody" cares about websites and iPhone applications. Moreover, virtually nobody --- even practitioners --- can tell the difference between someone who is good at building a website and someone who is working from a copy of "learn PHP in 3 hours". Saying what you "do" is a remarkably bad strategy. If the thought of explaining the broad value you choose to provide to people produces cold sweats, my recommendation is "practice more".
- phillmv 15y ago
  It's relatively easy for us to be in the top 10-5% of earners. We don't get doctor-respect, nor lawyer-money but… I'd say medium-high prestige.
  - bostonvaulter2 15y ago
    Additionally I think our prestige is going to keep going up as time goes on.
CPlatypus 15y ago
Yes, the combination of high pay and time/place flexibility is very appealing compared to the way most people live. You can still apply the same theory within computing, though. For example, a lot of people start out wanting to invent their own programming language, both to "scratch an itch" and because it's a pretty high-status gig. Then they get bogged down implementing libraries and fielding requests for new language features and I'm sure it's no longer so much fun. By contrast, databases or filesystems might seem boring to use but there's actually a lot of exciting work going on under the covers. We even have our own equivalent of the B&B scenario, with people who want to develop cool web stuff and then find they have to spend most of their time on the underlying functionality (assuming they have any worth speaking about). In the end, it's always worth thinking about the job rather than the product.
daniel-cussen 15y ago
Not even autopilot runs on autopilot as perfectly as software.
bigiain 15y ago
"So yeah, set your goals right and you'll find you've chosen the one industry where you really can own that coffeeshop." So there's an interesting idea... Lots of startups start up in coffee shops, at least occasionally overstaying their welcome (from the coffee shop owners point of view). It probably wouldn't be _too_ much of a stretch for a talented developer/consultant to back a $200k investment in return for "office space" for him and his cofounders/employees... (In much the same philosophy as Starbucks "3rd place" style of business)
- ahoyhere 15y ago
  $200k in office space is one thing, $200k in office space which requires business licenses, typically shiftless employees, health code inspections, constant renewal of expensive but not durable goods (e.g. croissants go bad in a few hours), etc. etc. etc. not so much.
- liquidcool 15y ago
  What you're describing is a coworking facility, which as you guessed was inspired by so many people working at coffee shops. I believe they avoid the health inspections by simply giving away the coffee and pastries, employing a Keurig machine, or locating in a hip area near good coffee shops, which is often the case. If you provide an ergonomic desk and chair in a quiet room with great internet, then coffee and pastries are less important.

jimboyoungblood 15y ago

yes, you will be able to own that coffee shop, but you won't want to. being their landlord is a better way to go. also, i don't think software is viewed as a "high-prestige" profession.

bh42222 15y ago
also, i don't think software is viewed as a "high-prestige" profession. It really depends on where in the world you are.
- jimboyoungblood 15y ago
  i don't know about other countries, but being a software developer is not high-status anywhere in the united states. i lived many years in sf and mountain view. even there, being a "product manager" is higher status than "software developer" or "engineer".
  - aaronblohowiak 15y ago
    Higher status, but often paid less.
    - timcederman 15y ago
      Sometimes, not often.
  - ido 15y ago
    It is considered quite high prestige in Israel (as does working in high-tech/engineering in general).
patio11 15y ago
Writing letters isn't high-prestige either, which is why lawyers don't describe their job as writing letters all day. Learn from their example.
- pacemkr 15y ago
  I've been thinking about this. Saying "I'm a software developer" just doesn't communicate what I do, even though programming is... well, what I do. Thanks for reframing the problem succinctly. You thought about this, so how do you describe your profession?
  - patio11 15y ago
    Mine specifically? "I helped two million kids learn to read last year" or "Occasionally, companies fly me out to them so that I can work for a week or three and make them several million dollars. The other 40 weeks of the year I keep myself amused." Back when I was doing software development every day, the answer was something closer to "You know X university? I make sure their entrance exams run smoothly." For a generic software developer, "I make my employer absolute piles of money by being clever in the general vicinity of a computer."
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
  - efsavage 15y ago
    patio11's answers are cute, but if you say things like that you'll probably just end up defending yourself against people's misinterpretations. "So you're a teacher?" or "You mean like a security guard?" I think the best approach is a middle ground, rather than say what you are, or what the ultimate result is, just say what you _do_. "I build websites" or "I build iphone applications" or "I run servers and networks" is something accessible that people can comfortably take wherever they want, e.g. "what language?" or "oh, i just downloaded this cool app that ..."
    - tptacek 15y ago
      His cute answer is safer than mine, which is "I rob banks." You need to internalize something about marketing. When Patrick says, "I helped 2 million kids learn how to read", he has framed the conversation in terms of the value proposition he wants to talk about. Statistically speaking, "nobody" cares about websites and iPhone applications. Moreover, virtually nobody --- even practitioners --- can tell the difference between someone who is good at building a website and someone who is working from a copy of "learn PHP in 3 hours". Saying what you "do" is a remarkably bad strategy. If the thought of explaining the broad value you choose to provide to people produces cold sweats, my recommendation is "practice more".
phillmv 15y ago
It's relatively easy for us to be in the top 10-5% of earners. We don't get doctor-respect, nor lawyer-money but… I'd say medium-high prestige.
- bostonvaulter2 15y ago
  Additionally I think our prestige is going to keep going up as time goes on.

CPlatypus 15y ago

Yes, the combination of high pay and time/place flexibility is very appealing compared to the way most people live. You can still apply the same theory within computing, though. For example, a lot of people start out wanting to invent their own programming language, both to "scratch an itch" and because it's a pretty high-status gig. Then they get bogged down implementing libraries and fielding requests for new language features and I'm sure it's no longer so much fun. By contrast, databases or filesystems might seem boring to use but there's actually a lot of exciting work going on under the covers. We even have our own equivalent of the B&B scenario, with people who want to develop cool web stuff and then find they have to spend most of their time on the underlying functionality (assuming they have any worth speaking about). In the end, it's always worth thinking about the job rather than the product.

daniel-cussen 15y ago

Not even autopilot runs on autopilot as perfectly as software.

bigiain 15y ago

"So yeah, set your goals right and you'll find you've chosen the one industry where you really can own that coffeeshop." So there's an interesting idea... Lots of startups start up in coffee shops, at least occasionally overstaying their welcome (from the coffee shop owners point of view). It probably wouldn't be _too_ much of a stretch for a talented developer/consultant to back a $200k investment in return for "office space" for him and his cofounders/employees... (In much the same philosophy as Starbucks "3rd place" style of business)

ahoyhere 15y ago
$200k in office space is one thing, $200k in office space which requires business licenses, typically shiftless employees, health code inspections, constant renewal of expensive but not durable goods (e.g. croissants go bad in a few hours), etc. etc. etc. not so much.
liquidcool 15y ago
What you're describing is a coworking facility, which as you guessed was inspired by so many people working at coffee shops. I believe they avoid the health inspections by simply giving away the coffee and pastries, employing a Keurig machine, or locating in a hip area near good coffee shops, which is often the case. If you provide an ergonomic desk and chair in a quiet room with great internet, then coffee and pastries are less important.