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I really dislike these posts, which are all the same "Person who skips college retires at 24" or "College really needed? This man makes 400,000 a year!" Of cou

I really dislike these posts, which are all the same "Person who skips college retires at 24" or "College really needed? This man makes 400,000 a year!" Of course college doesn't guarantee that you'll come out making $100k a year or more, but also NOT going to college is the same. As happy as I am for this person, I hope no one gets the wrong idea from these posts and just drops out. Having an idea is one thing, putting it together and having it be a success is another. If anything, I would say the YouTube and Facebook guys had it right, they made the product during college, released it during college, succeeded during college, and subsequently left college. Thats the way to do it IF ANY. And for some people, school just isn't there thing. Anyways I'm rambling, I think my point has been made.

brandnewlow 18y ago
The title of this link misreads the story a bit to re-cast it for Hackers. Yes, the guy's a dropout, yes the guy works two days a week, but I think his approach to how he positioned himself as THE pre-school birthday party magician is what's most interesting. That and all the wonderful, wonderful writing. The adventure in Atlantic City is a highlight.
chris11 18y ago
Yeah I really agree. it seems like most of these posts are saying anyone can make 100k+ working a couple days a week just by finding the right job. Sure, it's possible. But people do it by finding a niche, and marketing themselves very well. And there isn't usually room in these niches for many people to make that kind of money. These posts usually remind me of those late night tv infomercials telling that I can make millions, I just need to spend a few hundred to learn how to do it. I think that people can make that kind of money with little work, but they don't do it by following a defined career path.
NyxWulf 18y ago
It's interesting because there seems to be this ethos among the hacker/tech startup community that if you want to be successful you either need to be young, a college drop out, or an ivy league grad. The Kauffman foundation did a study on entrepreneurship though and found that this idea is totally off base. (http://dobbscodetalk.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Entrepreneurs-and-Tech-Startups-Whos-Doing-What-When-.html&Itemid=29 http://dobbscodetalk.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&sho...) This article is fascinating - and well worth a read. If you are looking for a quick summary: More education directly correlates with better performance in your startup, and most founders are much older and have greater work experience than people would think.
tptacek 18y ago
Wow are you ever missing the point of this story.
- tjmc 18y ago
  You're assuming he read it

brandnewlow 18y ago

The title of this link misreads the story a bit to re-cast it for Hackers. Yes, the guy's a dropout, yes the guy works two days a week, but I think his approach to how he positioned himself as THE pre-school birthday party magician is what's most interesting. That and all the wonderful, wonderful writing. The adventure in Atlantic City is a highlight.

chris11 18y ago

Yeah I really agree. it seems like most of these posts are saying anyone can make 100k+ working a couple days a week just by finding the right job. Sure, it's possible. But people do it by finding a niche, and marketing themselves very well. And there isn't usually room in these niches for many people to make that kind of money. These posts usually remind me of those late night tv infomercials telling that I can make millions, I just need to spend a few hundred to learn how to do it. I think that people can make that kind of money with little work, but they don't do it by following a defined career path.

NyxWulf 18y ago

It's interesting because there seems to be this ethos among the hacker/tech startup community that if you want to be successful you either need to be young, a college drop out, or an ivy league grad. The Kauffman foundation did a study on entrepreneurship though and found that this idea is totally off base. (http://dobbscodetalk.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Entrepreneurs-and-Tech-Startups-Whos-Doing-What-When-.html&Itemid=29 http://dobbscodetalk.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&sho...) This article is fascinating - and well worth a read. If you are looking for a quick summary: More education directly correlates with better performance in your startup, and most founders are much older and have greater work experience than people would think.

tptacek 18y ago

Wow are you ever missing the point of this story.

tjmc 18y ago
You're assuming he read it