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He's telling kids that they don't have to get a job, and one of the key objections is obviously going to be "but how will I get money". The emphasis in the essa

by ericd 3y ago

He's telling kids that they don't have to get a job, and one of the key objections is obviously going to be "but how will I get money". The emphasis in the essay is not getting rich, it's that it's a much more interesting path. And it is.

scarface_74 3y ago
And then they hit the reality that thier startup is going to fail, even if they get funding in a non zero interest rate environment and they would have been better off just “grinding leetCode and working for a FAANG” (tm r/cscareerquestions) or even just working as a CRUD/Enterprise Corp dev and still be able to make the median household income in the US a couple of years out of school
- ericd 3y ago
  They might have been better off financially - statistically, they probably would've been. But even my failed startups were more rewarding experiences by far than working in large companies. And it doesn't preclude you from going and getting paid too much at a big tech co afterwards if it doesn't work. This field has been so lucrative recently that you can generally afford to not be earning at peak potential for a bit, so why not roam free for at least a bit, and let your interest take you where it will, rather than doing something you describe as a grind, just to earn the privilege to go sit in meetings for most of the day and count the years till you can afford retirement?
  - scarface_74 3y ago
    I bet you had parents or some other financial nest egg to fall back on to support your addiction to food and shelter. Yes most people would rather not work to support those addictions I mentioned. But that’s what most people have to do.
    - ericd 3y ago
      Yes, I am blessed to have wonderful parents who would let me move back in. Fortunately, I only got to the "crashing on friends' couches and at my girlfriend/now wife's place" phase. Great way to tell if someone's worth marrying, by the way, partly moving in while appearing to have slim financial prospects. Obviously it's not right for everyone, nothing is. But it's right for more people than the number who do it, and it's worth letting the others know it's an option. A similar talk by PG at my university is why I realized that this was a realistic option, and I'm incredibly grateful he gave it.
      - scarface_74 3y ago
        So the secret of being able to fail at a startup is being able to sponge off of other people who do have jobs at the types of companies you want to avoid working for?
        ericd 3y ago
        Well, I didn't fail in that case, the company started making money, and they were repaid handsomely. But yeah, having a familial, social, or financial safety net is pretty important. If you never want to have to depend on anyone, or can't for whatever reason, then sure, play it safe. Sounds like you'd judge yourself harshly for taking this sort of risk.
        scarface_74 3y ago
        You just admitted that in no case whether you succeeded or failed were you in any danger of being homeless and hungry because you were being supported by people who were willing to “grind it out” in corporate America. You were never not “safe”
rabbits77 3y ago
When Paul Graham is saying this is a talk he gives to 14 and 15 year olds, let's think of who those kids are exactly. There is zero chance he is giving this advice to a general audience at some arbitrary high school, much less students from even a modestly disadvantaged background. People at those places don't know or, even if they did know, wouldn't care who Paul Graham is. No, he's at the school his kids go to. The students are all in the same affluent circles as he is. This is a pep talk for trust fund kids who can afford to mess around with start ups. It's probably lousy advice for most people outside the affluenza bubble.

by ericd 3y ago

scarface_74 3y ago

And then they hit the reality that thier startup is going to fail, even if they get funding in a non zero interest rate environment and they would have been better off just “grinding leetCode and working for a FAANG” (tm r/cscareerquestions) or even just working as a CRUD/Enterprise Corp dev and still be able to make the median household income in the US a couple of years out of school

ericd 3y ago
They might have been better off financially - statistically, they probably would've been. But even my failed startups were more rewarding experiences by far than working in large companies. And it doesn't preclude you from going and getting paid too much at a big tech co afterwards if it doesn't work. This field has been so lucrative recently that you can generally afford to not be earning at peak potential for a bit, so why not roam free for at least a bit, and let your interest take you where it will, rather than doing something you describe as a grind, just to earn the privilege to go sit in meetings for most of the day and count the years till you can afford retirement?
- scarface_74 3y ago
  I bet you had parents or some other financial nest egg to fall back on to support your addiction to food and shelter. Yes most people would rather not work to support those addictions I mentioned. But that’s what most people have to do.
  - ericd 3y ago
    Yes, I am blessed to have wonderful parents who would let me move back in. Fortunately, I only got to the "crashing on friends' couches and at my girlfriend/now wife's place" phase. Great way to tell if someone's worth marrying, by the way, partly moving in while appearing to have slim financial prospects. Obviously it's not right for everyone, nothing is. But it's right for more people than the number who do it, and it's worth letting the others know it's an option. A similar talk by PG at my university is why I realized that this was a realistic option, and I'm incredibly grateful he gave it.
    - scarface_74 3y ago
      So the secret of being able to fail at a startup is being able to sponge off of other people who do have jobs at the types of companies you want to avoid working for?
      - ericd 3y ago
        Well, I didn't fail in that case, the company started making money, and they were repaid handsomely. But yeah, having a familial, social, or financial safety net is pretty important. If you never want to have to depend on anyone, or can't for whatever reason, then sure, play it safe. Sounds like you'd judge yourself harshly for taking this sort of risk.
        scarface_74 3y ago
        You just admitted that in no case whether you succeeded or failed were you in any danger of being homeless and hungry because you were being supported by people who were willing to “grind it out” in corporate America. You were never not “safe”

rabbits77 3y ago

When Paul Graham is saying this is a talk he gives to 14 and 15 year olds, let's think of who those kids are exactly. There is zero chance he is giving this advice to a general audience at some arbitrary high school, much less students from even a modestly disadvantaged background. People at those places don't know or, even if they did know, wouldn't care who Paul Graham is. No, he's at the school his kids go to. The students are all in the same affluent circles as he is. This is a pep talk for trust fund kids who can afford to mess around with start ups. It's probably lousy advice for most people outside the affluenza bubble.