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Been there, done that. Being a developer is a small fraction of what you need in order to create a successful product. If you are the kind of person who can do

by diego 15y ago

Been there, done that. Being a developer is a small fraction of what you need in order to create a successful product. If you are the kind of person who can do it, you don't need to read posts like these. I don't know about this guy, but it looks like he hasn't done it, and he has little idea of what lies ahead. Best of luck to him.

jroseattle 15y ago
Spot on. This article is based a lot on sheer effort and force-of-will in order to succeed. So is this: http://www.despair.com/incompetence.html http://www.despair.com/incompetence.html I agree with the author's overall message of "just try it", but recognize what that is and how far it gets you. Turns out, generally not very far. Not to pick on the author, as he does sound a bit bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but anyone reading this who doesn't find it naive is, well, naive.
dangrover 15y ago
This is only true if you're 100% unwilling/unable to do anything except code. This is not true of all "developers." Being able to code does not disqualify you from being an intelligent, versatile human being capable of all sorts of things. And, failing that, it certainly does not prevent you from taking a holistic look at your business and outsourcing the things you can't handle. The funny thing you realize is how many designers can't design, how many salespeople can't sell, etc. By being committed and flexible, it's amazing the edge you can have, even if you have to pay other people sometimes. Contrary to popular belief, the first time you code something, the computer does not shoot beams out to alter your DNA and devolve you into a developer sapiens/developer-o-saurus. What you choose to spend your time on and prioritize is up to you, and being able to code only makes you more capable, not less.
- MrKurtHaeusler 15y ago
  Life is far too short to take time away from things we want to, or like doing, to waste on things we are merely willing, or able to do.
  - einhverfr 15y ago
    So, bring in other people onto projects who can do these other things.
    - potatolicious 15y ago
      Ooh ooh! I know this one! [bzzzzt] What is... a company! What'd I win?
      - einhverfr 15y ago
        It could be. You could also be hiring a guy who does marketing to help you get more customers, give some other guy a sales commission for sending work your way, and so forth. These things don't always require formal structures. You have more power as one who is self-employed rather than an employee. The fact is there is nothing limiting this advice to developers. If you know how to do bookkeeping, for example, you can become self-employed and rent out your services to customers rather than having them hire an employee.
- jroseattle 15y ago
  Who has this popular belief? On the contrary, most people I know assume competency in one discipline automatically grants them competency in others.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
zerostar07 15y ago
Depends. Being a developer means you can also iterate lots of different ideas before finding the one that works. In that case development is 80% of the time. With today's tools (social, advertising, job outsourcing) the rest of the work can become trivial. I am now a believer that developers can be entrepreneurs and try to motivate former colleagues to do the same. Remember that recent article from M. Andreesen about software eating the world[1]? It's true. [1] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903480904576512250915629460.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405311190348090457651...
prasunsen 15y ago
"If you are the kind of person who can do it, you don't need to read posts like these." If you are the kind of person who can do it you don't even need to be a developer either. Entrepreneurs can hire developers. Even if you need some cash for that, it's not hard to find it. So I agree the blog post is quite useless.
einhverfr 15y ago
That's where flexible teams come in, and being able to bring in other individuals who can contribute the missing pieces.
freemarketteddy 15y ago
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3202914 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3202914 You should really read patio11's comment on the Google 250K thread...individual developer productivity is indeed through the roof! We would not actually mind working for a company but companies seem to be lowballing us heavily and also giving us shit work...Going and making our own thing can not only be infinitely satisfying but it can also make sense financially!

by diego 15y ago

jroseattle 15y ago

Spot on. This article is based a lot on sheer effort and force-of-will in order to succeed. So is this: http://www.despair.com/incompetence.html http://www.despair.com/incompetence.html I agree with the author's overall message of "just try it", but recognize what that is and how far it gets you. Turns out, generally not very far. Not to pick on the author, as he does sound a bit bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but anyone reading this who doesn't find it naive is, well, naive.

dangrover 15y ago

This is only true if you're 100% unwilling/unable to do anything except code. This is not true of all "developers." Being able to code does not disqualify you from being an intelligent, versatile human being capable of all sorts of things. And, failing that, it certainly does not prevent you from taking a holistic look at your business and outsourcing the things you can't handle. The funny thing you realize is how many designers can't design, how many salespeople can't sell, etc. By being committed and flexible, it's amazing the edge you can have, even if you have to pay other people sometimes. Contrary to popular belief, the first time you code something, the computer does not shoot beams out to alter your DNA and devolve you into a developer sapiens/developer-o-saurus. What you choose to spend your time on and prioritize is up to you, and being able to code only makes you more capable, not less.

MrKurtHaeusler 15y ago
Life is far too short to take time away from things we want to, or like doing, to waste on things we are merely willing, or able to do.
- einhverfr 15y ago
  So, bring in other people onto projects who can do these other things.
  - potatolicious 15y ago
    Ooh ooh! I know this one! [bzzzzt] What is... a company! What'd I win?
    - einhverfr 15y ago
      It could be. You could also be hiring a guy who does marketing to help you get more customers, give some other guy a sales commission for sending work your way, and so forth. These things don't always require formal structures. You have more power as one who is self-employed rather than an employee. The fact is there is nothing limiting this advice to developers. If you know how to do bookkeeping, for example, you can become self-employed and rent out your services to customers rather than having them hire an employee.
jroseattle 15y ago
Who has this popular belief? On the contrary, most people I know assume competency in one discipline automatically grants them competency in others.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]

zerostar07 15y ago

Depends. Being a developer means you can also iterate lots of different ideas before finding the one that works. In that case development is 80% of the time. With today's tools (social, advertising, job outsourcing) the rest of the work can become trivial. I am now a believer that developers can be entrepreneurs and try to motivate former colleagues to do the same. Remember that recent article from M. Andreesen about software eating the world[1]? It's true. [1] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903480904576512250915629460.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405311190348090457651...

prasunsen 15y ago

"If you are the kind of person who can do it, you don't need to read posts like these." If you are the kind of person who can do it you don't even need to be a developer either. Entrepreneurs can hire developers. Even if you need some cash for that, it's not hard to find it. So I agree the blog post is quite useless.

einhverfr 15y ago

That's where flexible teams come in, and being able to bring in other individuals who can contribute the missing pieces.

freemarketteddy 15y ago

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3202914 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3202914 You should really read patio11's comment on the Google 250K thread...individual developer productivity is indeed through the roof! We would not actually mind working for a company but companies seem to be lowballing us heavily and also giving us shit work...Going and making our own thing can not only be infinitely satisfying but it can also make sense financially!