5 ms·

I've started a hobby/passion project a few months ago, and I'm constantly dreaming of quitting my day job to start working on it full-time (as opposed to doing

I've started a hobby/passion project a few months ago, and I'm constantly dreaming of quitting my day job to start working on it full-time (as opposed to doing it at midnight and getting sleep-deprived). Hard to give up a well-paying job when you have a family and financial goals ahead, but perhaps it's doable with donations? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

rozenmd 4y ago
Do it in the two hours you have before work.
- amelius 4y ago
  Or in the X hours you read HN.
  - simongray 4y ago
    ... at work?
- yarky 4y ago
  I agree, I rather wake up earlier to work on side projects/study than working late at night. This way it's the job that feels like an extra and not the other way around.
  - salmo 4y ago
    After 40 years of wanting to sleep in as long as I can, I flipped and wake up early and go to bed early. It’s amazing. My free time is now when I can think and play with hobbies. Those can be code, music, sewing, fishing, etc etc. After work, I’m usually zonked. “Too tired for having fun” (Devo cover playing in my head). I now just focus on kids after school, dinner, zone out, and sleep by 10pm. I listen to history podcasts and don’t watch much TV, except college football and Star Wars series. But I don’t pressure myself to “finish” hobbies anymore. Work is work, hobbies are for pleasure. If hobbies are generating anxiety, I pivot. That took me a while to come to terms with, given my ADHD. I have no dreams of making a passion project my job. I enjoy my work and “finish” there, but like having a separate life. My dad owned a business, and I don’t want to live that “never off” lifestyle. I’m a very boring family man and love that.
    - checkyoursudo 4y ago
      I concur. I loved staying up late and playing games, reading, coding, watching films, whatever. When I had kids, I had to start waking up earlier. So I decided to go all in and switch to early-down/early-up, and it changed a lot of things in my life. The biggest change was not working on or doing things I love while super tired and pushing through it anyway just because I love it.
- rozenmd 4y ago
  I turned this comment into an article, if you're curious: https://onlineornot.com/unreasonable-effectiveness-shipping-daily https://onlineornot.com/unreasonable-effectiveness-shipping-...
prox 4y ago
If you have the possibility, see if you can work less hours (even it’s just 4 hours) Those hours can be used to work on your passion without damaging your life/work balance. Ofcourse if this works for you depends on a lot of factors.
- rikschennink 4y ago
  This. It’s how I got started, since you “buy” this extra time you’re more likely to spend it well.
asicsp 4y ago
May be look for jobs that offer reduced working hours? For example, quoting from https://sahillavingia.com/work https://sahillavingia.com/work >People work at Gumroad as little as they need to sustain the other parts of their lives they prefer to spend their time and energy on: a creative side-hustle, their family, or anything else.
- vector_spaces 4y ago
  For what it's worth, I went through a hiring process with this person and it was one of the worst/cruelest interview experiences of my life. I emailed him in response to a thread on Twitter where he indicated he was looking to hire diverse/nontraditional engineers mentioning I was self taught. He replied immediately with a take home project that ostensibly only required 3 hours but took me close to 24 hours. He responded saying it wasn't up to par and then ghosted. I was way more green back then and looking over the project I sent him now, I understand what wasn't "up to par" about it, but I think it's fucked up to immediately send someone a take home without a quick phone screen unless you know them already, and also to ghost on someone who's put in a ton of work for you without giving any feedback or advice, especially when you claim to be interested in hiring nontraditional candidates. Anyway, as a result of that experience I no longer do take homes as a rule, and I am continually rubbed the wrong way by how much love Sahil's blog posts on being such a progressive employer get in these parts.
  - chucksmash 4y ago
    Why do you feel the interaction was cruel? A brief "no" seems like all you'd get from most companies too. My understanding is the policy is intended to avoid pointless debates and inadvertent legal liability (e.g. "when you told the candidate 'good luck with the new baby' at the end of the rejection convo, it created the impression they were not selected because they have kids.") Why did he owe more feedback than "this isn't up to par?" Based on past threads on HN I'm in the minority in preferring take-home projects and not feeling I'm owed compensation for the time it takes to complete them. I like them because you have more of an opportunity to demonstrate your craft versus a standard leetcode whiteboard session where the 45 minute time constraint means you need to focus on pumping code out as quickly as possible. Also a good one can be an entertaining diversion in it's own right. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.
tomrod 4y ago
The US Government has several programs that can be used for seed funding. If you want to pursue the Red Hat / Anaconda model where you generate an open source project and retain revenue based on support, it can be one of a few a viable options. You're looking at SBIR/STTR funding, phases up to $20M for final phases. Other funding vehicles also exist. Check out https://www.sbir.gov/ https://www.sbir.gov/
UnpossibleJim 4y ago
There are jobs that offer 1 to 2 hours (I've heard of 4, but haven't actually seen them) Fridays to work on passion projects. Now, this all hinges on how busy your current project is at work... I work at a company that gives an hour a week to work on passion projects (or "team building exercises" if you prefer), but since our project went off the rails, that ain't happening =) Though, I'm unsure as to the legal ramifications of such work, TBH.
- daggersandscars 4y ago
  (Note: US-centric) Please read the latest copy of your employment agreement before doing this. In the US, it is not uncommon for employers to claim everything you do, on or off the clock. Some places restrict this to "related" work, others do not.[1] Some employers will say they would never claim your work, but it's what's written down that matters. If they won't, ask them to sign an agreement. I've had broad swathes of my personal projects excluded from my employment agreement just by asking. [1] I had an employer who claimed everything. Their view was they paid for your existence, so they got everything you did, regardless of whether it related to the firm's business. I was tempted to ask if they claimed people's children, but quit instead.
eesmith 4y ago
No, it's not doable with donations. I mean, there might be a couple people who do that? I don't know of any. (And it's been tried.) In general, companies don't donate - they need a concrete benefit they can show to the tax agency. Eg, they will pay to contract you to add features. So you're left with individual contributions, who have less money than companies. And the overhead of dealing with payments. Daniel Stenberg, of curl fame, confirms that it's hard to make money off of donations, starting at https://youtu.be/jVT37EmND8I?t=1688 https://youtu.be/jVT37EmND8I?t=1688 . We can look to curl as an example. https://opencollective.com/curl#category-BUDGET https://opencollective.com/curl#category-BUDGET say they've had $200K in contributions, which after fees is $178,598.94 raised. Over a period of 3 or so years. After decades of development, and as one of the most widely distributed software packages in existence. Find a customer willing to pay you to work on it. Figure out the market size, and what they are willing to pay. Figure out at what point you're willing to give up dream, in case your plan (and pivot(s)) don't work out. But do not, not, NOT, depend on donations to meet your financial goals.
- david_allison 4y ago
  Strong +1 on this. Expect about $0.01/user/year from donations.
ogarten 4y ago
You gotta think like a business owner / founder. Your product can be open source but how do you want to make money? I doubt that you can get enough donation, at least in a reasonable time, to make a living. I would reduce working hours, work on your project and figure out how to monetize (e.g. self-hosted vs managed, consulting, ...). What can or cannot work depends a little on the industry you are in and also in what you want.
- andreacavagna 4y ago
  Before quitting think about having a Business plan and a correct Business model canvas, think about how to monetize your project. Maybe the project can have an OSS target, and a $$ target on the enterprise solution. How much do you think to do with support with your project? those kind of questiona are the starting point whenever you want to create a business from your OSS passion
Magi604 4y ago
Film/record what you're doing and put it up on the web! YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram, etc. Build that audience. Put your passion on display and people will want to follow. The money will come.

rozenmd 4y ago

Do it in the two hours you have before work.

amelius 4y ago
Or in the X hours you read HN.
- simongray 4y ago
  ... at work?
yarky 4y ago
I agree, I rather wake up earlier to work on side projects/study than working late at night. This way it's the job that feels like an extra and not the other way around.
- salmo 4y ago
  After 40 years of wanting to sleep in as long as I can, I flipped and wake up early and go to bed early. It’s amazing. My free time is now when I can think and play with hobbies. Those can be code, music, sewing, fishing, etc etc. After work, I’m usually zonked. “Too tired for having fun” (Devo cover playing in my head). I now just focus on kids after school, dinner, zone out, and sleep by 10pm. I listen to history podcasts and don’t watch much TV, except college football and Star Wars series. But I don’t pressure myself to “finish” hobbies anymore. Work is work, hobbies are for pleasure. If hobbies are generating anxiety, I pivot. That took me a while to come to terms with, given my ADHD. I have no dreams of making a passion project my job. I enjoy my work and “finish” there, but like having a separate life. My dad owned a business, and I don’t want to live that “never off” lifestyle. I’m a very boring family man and love that.
  - checkyoursudo 4y ago
    I concur. I loved staying up late and playing games, reading, coding, watching films, whatever. When I had kids, I had to start waking up earlier. So I decided to go all in and switch to early-down/early-up, and it changed a lot of things in my life. The biggest change was not working on or doing things I love while super tired and pushing through it anyway just because I love it.
rozenmd 4y ago
I turned this comment into an article, if you're curious: https://onlineornot.com/unreasonable-effectiveness-shipping-daily https://onlineornot.com/unreasonable-effectiveness-shipping-...

prox 4y ago

If you have the possibility, see if you can work less hours (even it’s just 4 hours) Those hours can be used to work on your passion without damaging your life/work balance. Ofcourse if this works for you depends on a lot of factors.

rikschennink 4y ago
This. It’s how I got started, since you “buy” this extra time you’re more likely to spend it well.

asicsp 4y ago

May be look for jobs that offer reduced working hours? For example, quoting from https://sahillavingia.com/work https://sahillavingia.com/work >People work at Gumroad as little as they need to sustain the other parts of their lives they prefer to spend their time and energy on: a creative side-hustle, their family, or anything else.

vector_spaces 4y ago
For what it's worth, I went through a hiring process with this person and it was one of the worst/cruelest interview experiences of my life. I emailed him in response to a thread on Twitter where he indicated he was looking to hire diverse/nontraditional engineers mentioning I was self taught. He replied immediately with a take home project that ostensibly only required 3 hours but took me close to 24 hours. He responded saying it wasn't up to par and then ghosted. I was way more green back then and looking over the project I sent him now, I understand what wasn't "up to par" about it, but I think it's fucked up to immediately send someone a take home without a quick phone screen unless you know them already, and also to ghost on someone who's put in a ton of work for you without giving any feedback or advice, especially when you claim to be interested in hiring nontraditional candidates. Anyway, as a result of that experience I no longer do take homes as a rule, and I am continually rubbed the wrong way by how much love Sahil's blog posts on being such a progressive employer get in these parts.
- chucksmash 4y ago
  Why do you feel the interaction was cruel? A brief "no" seems like all you'd get from most companies too. My understanding is the policy is intended to avoid pointless debates and inadvertent legal liability (e.g. "when you told the candidate 'good luck with the new baby' at the end of the rejection convo, it created the impression they were not selected because they have kids.") Why did he owe more feedback than "this isn't up to par?" Based on past threads on HN I'm in the minority in preferring take-home projects and not feeling I'm owed compensation for the time it takes to complete them. I like them because you have more of an opportunity to demonstrate your craft versus a standard leetcode whiteboard session where the 45 minute time constraint means you need to focus on pumping code out as quickly as possible. Also a good one can be an entertaining diversion in it's own right. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

tomrod 4y ago

The US Government has several programs that can be used for seed funding. If you want to pursue the Red Hat / Anaconda model where you generate an open source project and retain revenue based on support, it can be one of a few a viable options. You're looking at SBIR/STTR funding, phases up to $20M for final phases. Other funding vehicles also exist. Check out https://www.sbir.gov/ https://www.sbir.gov/

UnpossibleJim 4y ago

There are jobs that offer 1 to 2 hours (I've heard of 4, but haven't actually seen them) Fridays to work on passion projects. Now, this all hinges on how busy your current project is at work... I work at a company that gives an hour a week to work on passion projects (or "team building exercises" if you prefer), but since our project went off the rails, that ain't happening =) Though, I'm unsure as to the legal ramifications of such work, TBH.

daggersandscars 4y ago
(Note: US-centric) Please read the latest copy of your employment agreement before doing this. In the US, it is not uncommon for employers to claim everything you do, on or off the clock. Some places restrict this to "related" work, others do not.[1] Some employers will say they would never claim your work, but it's what's written down that matters. If they won't, ask them to sign an agreement. I've had broad swathes of my personal projects excluded from my employment agreement just by asking. [1] I had an employer who claimed everything. Their view was they paid for your existence, so they got everything you did, regardless of whether it related to the firm's business. I was tempted to ask if they claimed people's children, but quit instead.

eesmith 4y ago

No, it's not doable with donations. I mean, there might be a couple people who do that? I don't know of any. (And it's been tried.) In general, companies don't donate - they need a concrete benefit they can show to the tax agency. Eg, they will pay to contract you to add features. So you're left with individual contributions, who have less money than companies. And the overhead of dealing with payments. Daniel Stenberg, of curl fame, confirms that it's hard to make money off of donations, starting at https://youtu.be/jVT37EmND8I?t=1688 https://youtu.be/jVT37EmND8I?t=1688 . We can look to curl as an example. https://opencollective.com/curl#category-BUDGET https://opencollective.com/curl#category-BUDGET say they've had $200K in contributions, which after fees is $178,598.94 raised. Over a period of 3 or so years. After decades of development, and as one of the most widely distributed software packages in existence. Find a customer willing to pay you to work on it. Figure out the market size, and what they are willing to pay. Figure out at what point you're willing to give up dream, in case your plan (and pivot(s)) don't work out. But do not, not, NOT, depend on donations to meet your financial goals.

david_allison 4y ago
Strong +1 on this. Expect about $0.01/user/year from donations.

ogarten 4y ago

You gotta think like a business owner / founder. Your product can be open source but how do you want to make money? I doubt that you can get enough donation, at least in a reasonable time, to make a living. I would reduce working hours, work on your project and figure out how to monetize (e.g. self-hosted vs managed, consulting, ...). What can or cannot work depends a little on the industry you are in and also in what you want.

andreacavagna 4y ago
Before quitting think about having a Business plan and a correct Business model canvas, think about how to monetize your project. Maybe the project can have an OSS target, and a $$ target on the enterprise solution. How much do you think to do with support with your project? those kind of questiona are the starting point whenever you want to create a business from your OSS passion

Magi604 4y ago

Film/record what you're doing and put it up on the web! YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram, etc. Build that audience. Put your passion on display and people will want to follow. The money will come.