13 ms·

Advice for ambitious 19 year olds

186 points by kirillzubovsky 13y ago

6d0debc071 13y ago
> Starting a company that you’re in love with is the right kind of risk. Questionable. I know someone who started a company around half a decade ago, is now out of business with nothing really to fall back on and can't collect contribution related unemployment benefits because they weren't paying N1 national insurance contributions. Yay companies! May be a big thing, but some people really should not be starting companies. > If you fail at an idea that you really loved and could have been great, you’re unlikely to regret it, and people will not hold it against you. Depends on local culture a lot. Notably in Europe, IME, it's much more likely to be held against you. ============ I do agree with the general tone of the piece though: That if you want to do something great you'll have to take on some measure of risk. IMO the time to take these risks is when you have a strong fall back position. What you don't want to do is get to 30, have got things wrong repeatedly, and not have a steady income or a home or anything really to your name. You've got to know what you're going to do if things go south.
throwaway10001 13y ago
I just watched someone turn down one of these breakout companies because Microsoft offered him $30k per year more in salary—that was a terrible decision. He will not build interesting things and may not work with smart people. Interesting things....like making people click on ads? Microsoft products are used by billions of people worldwide and by virtually every Fortune () company. And then we have Microsoft Research, love or hate Microsoft as company all you want but Microsoft Research is top notch. Quite a few smart people there http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Research http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Research. Maybe not as smart as Sam Altman (the OP) but smart nonetheless.
- selimthegrim 13y ago
  I've met and had the opportunity to learn from top people at Microsoft Research in Santa Barbara. I guarantee you Sam Altman isn't fit to tie their shoelaces. No disrespect to him and not saying he couldn't get there, but they're just in a totally different ballpark and level of problem solving and execution. They're solving problems people don't even realize they're going to have yet.
  - FakeSamAltman 13y ago
    They are solving problems people won't ever realize they're going to have.
    - selimthegrim 13y ago
      This is a fair point. But what's that saying about talent hitting the target in front of you, but genius hitting the target no one knew was there?
    - beat 13y ago
      Because if Microsoft is good at anything, it's creating new problems for their users. :)
  - barry-cotter 13y ago
    I guarantee you Sam Altman isn't fit to tie their shoelaces. No disrespect to him. My ass.
    - selimthegrim 13y ago
      When Sam Altman becomes a Fields Medalist or invents a new kind of particle (that was subsequently discovered!), then we can talk about the same playing field.
      - barry-cotter 13y ago
        He's not even trying to play the same game as them. Sam Altman 's ideal looks a great deal more like Elon Musk, Steve Jobs or Bill Gates than Djikstra. Would you consider Bill Gates fit to tie a Fields Medalist's shoelaces?
- argonaut 13y ago
  Okay. MSFT Research is great. It would be unreasonable to offer that as a viable alternative for even a highly gifted and ambitious (but not genius-level) 19 year old.
  - throwaway10001 13y ago
    Why not? If he's good to try his chance at Google like startups, why not at MSR? Can we agree that having been at MSR does wonders to your resume?
minimaxir 13y ago
Incidentally, don’t let salary be a factor. I just watched someone turn down one of these breakout companies because Microsoft offered him $30k per year more in salary—that was a terrible decision. He will not build interesting things and may not work with smart people. This article is making the implication that big corporations and job security are bad; go risk your life for an endeavor with a less-than-5% of success!
- the_watcher 13y ago
  That is why the title is Advice for Ambitious 19 Year Olds, not Advice for 19 Year Olds Looking for Security
  - minimaxir 13y ago
    I don't see how the two are mutually exclusive. Having a solid foundation for a life-long career with real-world experience is definitely ambitious.
    - acgourley 13y ago
      Maybe by some definition of ambitious - but clearly not Sam's
    - barry-cotter 13y ago
      They're not exclusive but maximising for security and ambition/impact lead in very different directions. There is not always and everywhere a risk reward trade off but in any but a very young field it's the way to bet.
- intrazoo 13y ago
  "The reason I suggested college graduates not start startups immediately was that I felt most would fail. And they will. But ambitious programmers are better off doing their own thing and failing than going to work at a big company. Certainly they'll learn more. They might even be better off financially. A lot of people in their early twenties get into debt, because their expenses grow even faster than the salary that seemed so high when they left school. At least if you start a startup and fail your net worth will be zero rather than negative. " -Paul Graham
tekacs 13y ago
Heads-up in counterpoint to the second footnote: I was most definitely considering academia at 19 (I was near dead-set on it). Then I got to university and got a good look at academics, doctoral students and the environment for myself - I'm no longer so sure that it's something I want to do, at least for now. :)
avolcano 13y ago
I'm 19, and just started as a software engineer at a startup in NYC. It's been absolutely incredible - I never thought I'd be here a year ago. I'll admit that my situation isn't universal - luckily, I could get my foot in the door with many startups by being in the last batch of Hacker School - but if you, like me, hate academia and want to get to work, don't let your age stop you. Sure, there's companies that care about your schooling - the Googles, Twitters, Facebooks, and Palantirs of the world - but there are so many more that just want great hackers with awesome GitHub profiles and real-world chops. (and, of course, make sure to never stop learning on your own time! You will, inevitably, have gaps in your knowledge you missed from school, but between Coursera, the availability of free textbooks and lectures, and other resources, it's not hard to remedy that on your own)
- Selfcommit 13y ago
  Please understand that my intent here is not to begrudge you in any way - I think it's wonderful that you're working as an SE at such a young age - but.. I'm 10 years older than you. I code in the evenings, I spend my morning commute listing to any computer science online course I can find... I have over 5 years experience as a Systems Admin... I've interviewed with a number of big companies and startups but I don't feel nearly prepared enough to land an SE role. How is it possible a 19 year old can? I can accept that perhaps that 19 year old is just more clever than I am, but I'm a pretty clever guy. What am I missing?
  - Jabbles 13y ago
    Tell us what you think is missing. You don't "feel nearly prepared". Have you prepared? These interviews (for better or worse) tend to be algorithm based. How are you on those?
    - Selfcommit 13y ago
      Example scenario: If you ask me to solve a problem, I can intelligently talk to you about what a program that solves that problem is expected to do, and happily whiteboard a big picture idea. If I don't know the language required for implementation, that's ok because I'm pretty confident I can work out the basics and what I need to code. To meet your points: A) I haven't really put myself out there in a while(over a year), I've been 'prepping' B) My algorithm's are poor. While I understand the concept of Big O notation, I can't readily look at something and say "oh that's a _______ sort"
peter_l_downs 13y ago
> No matter what you choose, build stuff and be around smart people. I'm 19, and this rings true for me. I put off my admission to MIT to take a "gap year" and work at a tech startup in SF. The most interesting and enjoyable moments have come from building with and learning from my co-workers, all of whom are brilliant. Other young people reading this: I've found taking a gap year to be a good hedge between "I want to start my own company", "I want to go to university", and "I want to work in the real world and see what that's like."
- sevenironcows 13y ago
  Me too! Spent my gap year working at an awesome startup in London and learned a crazy amount. Sadly one now needs to work out whether taking up that place at University is worthwhile. For me, whilst staying in "the real world" is an attractive option, going to Uni seems like the choice which will open the most doors long run. Very happy to be proved wrong on that on, however.
  - corin_ 13y ago
    I have no idea what the right answer, if there is one, would be for you, but here's the question that helped for me: Rather than thinking about what opportunities either might give you, looking 10-20 years ahead which option do you think you might most regret chosing?
PencilAndPaper 13y ago
>>However, getting nothing done for four of your most productive years is actually pretty risky. This is how I feel about my post secondary education. I regret being herded into it and wasting all of those years parroting and memorizing so that I could learn "critical thinking"
beat 13y ago
I just hired a talented, ambitious 18 year old graphic designer as my first employee. I've known her for several years as a close friend of my daughter (me, I'm old enough to have 19 year old children), and I thought of her because I felt she has what it takes to be not just a good graphic designer, but a good startup employee. And with her freshly out of school and in no financial position to go to college, she sees the opportunity. Even if the startup fails, she can probably eke a couple of years of professional experience and a reference out of the deal - enough to get her on the path to a nice career. And if the startup succeeds, she has the career and could make enough in options to pay for art school. Because she's smart and ambitious, she sees the logic of the situation. I have no doubt I'll get great work from her.
kayoone 13y ago
"Incidentally, don’t let salary be a factor. I just watched someone turn down one of these breakout companies because Microsoft offered him $30k per year more in salary—that was a terrible decision. He will not build interesting things and may not work with smart people." That quote drips so much of elitism its disgusting. MS still has many brilliant engineers and is building alot of really complex stuff, probably more than your average startup ever will. This is the kind of talk i find really off putting about the whole startup-scene...
- notaddicted 13y ago
  Only people with money say "Don't worry about money".
  - sama 13y ago
    I still said that when I had a negative checking account balance while starting my company. I think you should worry about money, but that you should take a long-term view of it.
    - enraged_camel 13y ago
      Only people with a nice fallback cushion can afford to say "take a long-term view of money" when their checking account is in the negatives. Let's face it: if you are having trouble feeding yourself, your view on money will be extremely short-term. As it should be.
      - jiggy2011 13y ago
        To be fair, most decent development jobs will pay you enough to feed and shelter yourself especially if you are a healthy 19 year old with no dependents. So the difference the extra money makes is likely to just mean lifestyle changes like taking the bus instead of driving a new car and less ambitious holidays. If you can put up with that for a few years then it makes sense to take a lower paying job if you believe it will have better long term prospects.
susi22 13y ago
This is awful advice. I'm sorry but when you're 19 you should go out into the _world_ (not the US) and discover it. Go book a cheap flight to South America and go backpacking for a few months. Live on $300 a month, meet interesting people. Techies, nerds and entrepreneurs aren't _that_ interesting. But sure, if all that you care about is success and you happen to define success like most other Americans (i.e. by making the most money) then go ahead and work as hard as you can and make that million. But please don't complain about your burnout when you're 30-40. There is way more than money and work in this live. Don't work too hard especially when you're young. If you waste a year or two, nothing will run away and your opportunities will still be there when you're 25.
- jamesaguilar 13y ago
  > If you waste a year or two, nothing will run away and your opportunities will still be there when you're 25. Something tells me this is an aspirational claim rather than a statement with empirical support. On the other hand, there is a lot of data to support the view that being out of work for years is very bad for finding a job when you finally do want one.
  - ritchiea 13y ago
    I disagree. There are lots of different types of venturing out into the world that aren't necessarily just bumming around on the beach. I went traveling when I was 20 and ended up spending months at a hostel in exchange for building them a new website. And not only was I working, but I was also spending time with people older than my peers in the US and hearing about their life experiences. If you travel with the right mindset, it can be just as much of a growth experience as working at an interesting company.
    - jamesaguilar 13y ago
      I don't think you've contradicted anything I said, but maybe I'm misreading you? I said being out of work for years is known to lead to worse employment outcomes in some cases. You said, "I disagree, you can travel and not be out of work." So, you don't disagree, in other words? Anyway, I'm not saying that one shouldn't travel, even if you don't work while traveling. But let's not fool ourselves into thinking there are no risks involved. You should be aware of the pros and cons of both approaches and balance them with your personal preferences.
adriancooney 13y ago
I have this exact dilemma of whether to stay in college and build projects on the side or leave college and get a job at a start up or create my own. I'd love to be able to choose the latter but the one thing that's holding me back is that I'm in Ireland and it's not exactly Silicon Valley when it comes to the start-up scene. It's extremely frustrating because I have the talent and skills but companies feel it's too high of a risk to relocate and house an 19 year old undergraduate but it's understandable.
- jtbigwoo 13y ago
  Your clock isn't running out to the extent that you think it is. At the rate most of us go these days, you've got forty more working years, with at least 10 to fifteen childless years if you continue to be drawn to entrepreneurship. I'd suggest making the choice that moves you toward your goal while still leaving as many doors open as possible.
jmgrosen 13y ago
Anyone have any particular advice for an ambitious 14 year old with three years left of high school?
- anonymoushn 13y ago
  Most states have a program similar to TAMS (tams.unt.edu). Do that. Maybe 1/3 of the value of this program is that you will graduate earlier. The other 2/3 of the value is that you will meet a bunch of people who also did the program, and you will know them for the rest of your life.
- samsnelling 13y ago
  Yep. Keep learning. Read as much as you can. Start lots of projects. Try and finish them. I am 21 and just sold my first startup while finishing my last year in college. I started programming at 13ish, and have never stopped reading and learning. Don't get caught up in what your parents or friends say (it's hard explaining SaaS to people who don't quite "get it"), but make sure you keep whatever you build simple enough for them to intuitively use your project. There's no reason why you can't launch something and start building something now. Go and do it, and a lot of people will lend a helping hand as you go.
- ISL 13y ago
  Master things. Be a good person. Keep options open. Explore.
dotBen 13y ago
If you are not a US Citizen and think your career might take you here/want to come here to the US, then you should do college. Not having even a crappy and unnecessary degree from a crappy university made my ability to work in the US very very difficult, and all future immigration reform for high-skilled workers still orientates around STEM qualifications.
michaelochurch 13y ago
Becoming employee number 50 at a company that still has a good chance of failure is the wrong kind of risk. I agree. Actually, those VC darlings aren't likely to fail in the classic, pink-slips-for-all, sense because the VCs have already worked out an emergency acq-hire and a backup emergency acq-hire. They are, however, likely to fail you, which is worse. Now you have to explain a bad separation from a company that still exists and has pump-and-dump VCs and tech press (still in the "pump" phase, obviously) propping up its reputation. If you join a company, my general advice is to join a company on a breakout trajectory. There are a usually a handful of these at a time, and they are usually identifiable to a smart young person. Citation needed. I'm no longer very young (I'm 30) but I'm quite smart and still 0 for 2 when it comes to picking startups. Incidentally, I don't doubt that I'm better at judging companies than most engineers and VCs; I'm probably above 95th percentile in judgment of talent (judgment of character I could work on) but it's just really hard to forecast startups. Most people who think they can do it, can't. Most people who think they can't do it are right. Also, most of us don't pick from the full space of companies, either. We pick opportunities that make sense in the context of our career stories (career coherency). For example, I'm reaching an age where non-senior/lead roles (except at top AI labs or hedge funds) don't really make sense anymore. If I'm not a strong match (enough to qualify for a senior role) it doesn't make sense for me to apply even if the company looks like a "rocket ship", because a junior role is not acceptable at my stage unless the people are known, world-class entities.
- pchristensen 13y ago
  company on a breakout trajectory I think he's talking about companies like Square now, Groupon a few years ago, Facebook a few years before that, Google a few years before that. $1B+ valuations, positive glowing aura, disproportionate talent attraction. The kind of company where you can tell almost anyone you work there and they say "Wow, what's that like?"
  - michaelochurch 13y ago
    Sure, but by the time companies are at that point, the equity they give out is trivial (sub-0.01%) and the important positions are already filled.
cosmc 13y ago
A lot of this feels like bad advice. Like playing penny stocks rather than index funds. I am 18, and saying that my most productive years are from 20-25 seems shortsighted and arrogant. The startup community, although cool and interesting, seems like a gold rush situation to me. That's why I plan to get my CS degree, and get a stable job, such as one at MS (which the author seems to look down upon). I could see joining/starting a startup, if the opportunity popped up, but seeking a risky situation irks me.Maybe I am just risk adverse?
codegeek 13y ago
My suggestion to 19 year olds. Be careful with this blog post. "working at an already-massively-successful company means you will learn much less, and probably work with less impressive people." Seriously? Yes big companies have lots of bureaucratic crap and things take longer blah blah. However, you do not want to be giving this advice to an "ambitious" 19 year old. Big companies have a lot of smart and impressive people. Lots. They also can teach you a thing or 2 about the "real world". "Incidentally, don’t let salary be a factor. I just watched someone turn down one of these breakout companies because Microsoft offered him $30k per year more in salary—that was a terrible decision." Let me provide the other side of this. You are giving up $30K in salary today as a 19 year old. Now, lets imagine that you need to get a job soon again since that "awesome breakout" company actually failed, what do you think is going to happen ? Yes, you will not be able to negotiate as high a salary as you could have if you had that extra $30K. It is not just about $30K. It is about having the power to negotiate next time if you move which you probably will as a 19 year old.
jenius 13y ago
I don't think easily identifying companies that will "almost certainly be successful" is within the capabilities of any normal human being. Even the absolute best people at identifying successful companies get more wrong than they get right (the right ones just pay well enough to cover the wrongs). Even if it was only that statement I took issue with, that would be enough to make me say that this is not actually good advice for a 19-year-old. Be realistic when giving advice...
bliker 13y ago
I expected advice. Now I am more indecisive than before.
jmduke 13y ago
Ah yes, eschew Microsoft, the company that has literally thousands of employees devoted purely to research (a number of whom have won Turing awards) to work for a startup which is more likely than not to be in the business of producing a Rails CRUD app. After all, you need to be surrounded by (people who call themselves) hackers. My advice for ambitious 19 year olds: ask your parents for advice, because they likely know you better than anyone on the internet. (I say this as someone two years your senior)
arizzitano 13y ago
"working at an already-massively-successful company means you will learn much less, and probably work with less impressive people." Not true. I learned more in my first month at a "big company" than in the two years I spent in the startup world. I started out working for startups, and while it was fun at first, it was a big mistake. My development skills ended up stunted and patchy from churning out MVP after MVP. I never learned how to maintain or scale an application, since most of the time I was just pounding code as fast as I could, hoping to score more funding. Since most of my coworkers were also young and inexperienced, I learned little of value and picked up a lot of bad habits. Maybe I just wasn't enough of a "smart young person" to pick ideal companies, but really, who is? That's just my personal experience, but my point is that startups don't necessarily equal prime education. If you really want to learn and grow, find a team of disciplined people who understand and enjoy their work. Maybe it's a startup, maybe it's MSFT -- the size of a company doesn't necessarily dictate its viability as a learning experience.
cperciva 13y ago
“I’m an ambitious 19 year old, what should I do?” This is an interesting question, in my experience: The sets of "most ambitious people I know" and "people who describe themselves as ambitious" seem to be entirely disjoint. The most ambitious people I know just go out and do things, rather than sitting around thinking (and talking) about how ambitious they are. This may be a cultural thing -- self-describing as "ambitious" is the sort of thing which I find tends to happen thanks to high school career preparation programs (along with "organized", "reliable", and "good with people"), and it's entirely possible that those school programs are subtly different in the US than in Canada. However, I can't shake the feeling that there's a kernel of truth here.
gregpilling 13y ago
I was once an ambitious 20 year old (1990). I found that I had an overpowering urge to do something, and the only part that held me back was that the old people didn't wan't me to. So I wore them out until I could. I certainly didn't ask for advice - all the unsolicited advice I was given told me I was on the wrong path. So I got a franchise at 20, then ran it as best I could, made a some money and won some awards. If I was 20 today I would probably make some sort of SaaS product. I certainly wouldn't be asking “I’m an ambitious 19 year old, what should I do?” Of course, some people don't have an overpowering urge to do anything. So maybe these are the people who ask that question. I once employed a mechanical engineer like that - at 30 he had no ambitions, no dreams. He didn't last long at my company because he also lacked skill and was slow. I am 43 now, and the urge is subdued but still there. I think if you have a drive in you to make something, then you should go make it. Don't ask for permission and certainly don't wait for permission. Just go do it. When you fail, if you fail, pick yourself up and try again. You only really fail when you stop trying. My advice for ambitious 19 year olds? Just go do what drives you. If nothing drives you, find someone who is driven and help them.
QuantumGuy 13y ago
I am 19 and I think this is terrible advice.I would love to work at Microsoft not just because of the pay but because of the people I would work with. Some of the greatest minds in the world call Microsoft their place of work. Mind you I am doing my own thing and not looking to get hired but still if presented the chance I would take it.
sama 13y ago
ok, last comment on this. this was meant to be more about how to have the biggest impact with your life than how to make a little more money. and it certainly doesn't apply to everyone--hence the title. many people will me much happier not following it. on the money side, there is nothing wrong with taking a job that pays you $30k more. most people ramp up their spending and don't save that ~$20k (post-tax) extra, but if you do, more power to you. that $30k will never in your lifetime compound to $100MM, but if that's not what you're shooting for, that's obviously fine. it's certainly a much less risky path.
- nostrademons 13y ago
  The part that rang false for me was equating "learning more" with "earning less". In my experience that's been a false dichotomy. If it's obvious that you'll learn more in one job, then yes, take that one. But if you're choosing between two jobs and you can't decide which one will teach you more, pick the one that pays more, because: 1.) Paying you more indicates that they have more to pay; their top-line is higher, which means they're probably in a more lucrative and dynamic industry. 2.) Paying you more means they value you more, which indicates they may have more work for you to do and be willing to give you more responsibility. In my first job out of college, I had a choice between 3 jobs. One was a public radio non-profit that needed a techie. One was a VC-funded financial software startup. One was a bootstrapped financial software startup. The last offered me about $15K/year more than the others. When I left it two years later, I'd seen two products through from idea to launch. The VC-funded startup actually had a better outcome for the company (they got bought), but I wouldn't have seen much if any of that cash, and since their product was already pretty set in stone by the time I was interviewing, I wouldn't have had nearly as much of a chance to learn and make decisions.
- gms 13y ago
  Why don't you use capital letters? The rest of your grammar and punctuation is rather standard, so this sticks out.
jonnathanson 13y ago
It's often dismissed as cheesy, but it's the most important career advice there is: find your passion. Ninety nine people out of 100 never have a great answer to the question, "Where do you want to be in 10 years?" Instead, they treat their careers in ad hoc fashion, hopping opportunistically from job to job. The best way to succeed is to have a very clear answer to that cheesy question. Such a clear answer that you're almost burned by its intensity. Such a clear answer that it guides your every move. This clarity of vision will allow you to weather temporary failures and setbacks, and it'll provide you a roadmap for the climb up the mountain. This is what separates the brilliant-and-hard-working from the brilliant-and-hard-working-and-uber-successful. The world is full of brilliant, hard working people who never get a "lucky break." The secret is that the "lucky break" is often the result of many years of directed effort. So keep that in mind as you go along. If you want to achieve tremendous success in any field, there's a buildup period of at least 5 years, and often more than a decade. It really pays to pick your path early, and to stick to it. Obviously, some folks have taken more circuitous paths to success, and that's totally cool. But ask most of the majorly successful people in any profession what got them there, and they will tell you they focused relentlessly on it. Ambition isn't enough; ambition needs direction. Find the ladder you want to climb, and start climbing it -- because most ladders are pretty damned tall, and hopping between them gets tougher the older you get. I say this having learned it the hard way. I traded what I want to do for what I "should" do for many years, and now I'm trying to catch back up to my vision. I still have time, but I wish I'd been honest with myself at 19.
- davelocity 13y ago
  great comment. a lot of people don't take the time to step back and think what they really want.
- LatvjuAvs 13y ago
  I do not want to be someone in future, 10 years, or even 30 years. I am here, now, enjoying myself :) Money, position, income, it is forced drug we must take so enjoyment could be numbed.
lettergram 13y ago
My intent is a mixture of both, I'm taking the safer route. Go to college, work on projects (in school and out), then i'm going to (hopefully) get paid at a corporation, get some experience. Then when I have a life settled when i'm 25-26 start a company, with a bit of financial backing, no student loans, it makes more sense than going out with no support and no experience (in my view).
sbuccini 13y ago
I faced this dilemna last year. I chose college, and it was t he best decision of my life. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, I could learn how to code by sheer willpower and practice. But the people I've met and the things I have learned, not just academic lessons but lessons about life as well, have already made the experience worth it. My advice to people in my situation is to really, really think about your decision. It's sexy to drop out these days, but it's not always the right thing to do
pg 13y ago
Sam was just telling me how much he regretted looking at this thread. "Oh, you should never read Hacker News comments about anything you write," I told him. Whereupon it immediately struck me how strange and sad it was to be saying this, as the person who started HN. Seriously, some of the comments on this thread are HN at its very worst: bitter, willful misinterpretations of what Sam is saying.
- majani 13y ago
  I think a lot of the blowback Sam gets around here can actually be attributed to you presenting him as your "favourite founder" when its not apparent to the rest of us what makes him so great.
  - dutchbrit 13y ago
    I'm probably going to get down-voted for this, but here goes. Have you met Sam in person? Have you experienced his energy? His vibe? I can't say I have, but I think a lot of people pre-judge others without actually even meeting them. I didn't know PG presented him as his 'one favourite founder', but if he really does, I guess there has to be a very good reason... That being said, he might just recognise a lot of himself in Sam. The way you put it makes it sound like the rest of HN is just bashing him out of jealously in all honesty, which is, well, just for the wrong reason & plain sad at the end of the day.
  - onedev 13y ago
    I like mint chocolate chip ice cream. I don't give a fuck if it's not apparent to anyone else what makes it so great. I like how it tastes. Why is it unreasonable for PG to have someone as his favorite founder? What if they're just good friends and he really resonates with this Sam guy? Why does it matter if you can't see what's so great about someone you've never met in your life? Maybe Sam is funny in person and has a great attitude. You wouldn't know. Just accept it for what it is. Maybe PG's reasons ARE irrational. Who cares? I have a ton of irrational favorite things. You people are crazy sometimes.
- dutchbrit 13y ago
  I wholeheartedly agree, some people here really miss the point, including myself from time to time. Sam, I actually think your advise is really good, I wish I'd followed this when I was 19. But I'm still ambitious, I'm not too late. Thanks for the good read!
eshvk 13y ago
Interesting. I see two types of assumptions (in the comments): 1. MSR does cool research projects, any one joins has a chance of working on those. A large percentage of the people who work there are research PhDs. Similarly working at Google doesn't necessarily mean you get closer to flying balloons or whatever. 2. Money is bad, learning/glory is good. Simplistic. Spouted by people who can't pay you well. My response: I am curious, I will learn anywhere. Fuck You, Pay Me.
aphelion 13y ago
The thing about risk-seeking ambitious 19 year olds is that they have absolutely no real idea what risk is, or what their real ambitions for their life will be.
rats 13y ago
Guys, anyone. What is "W record"?

186 points by kirillzubovsky 13y ago

> Starting a company that you’re in love with is the right kind of risk. Questionable. I know someone who started a company around half a decade ago, is now out of business with nothing really to fall back on and can't collect contribution related unemployment benefits because they weren't paying N1 national insurance contributions. Yay companies! May be a big thing, but some people really should not be starting companies. > If you fail at an idea that you really loved and could have been great, you’re unlikely to regret it, and people will not hold it against you. Depends on local culture a lot. Notably in Europe, IME, it's much more likely to be held against you. ============ I do agree with the general tone of the piece though: That if you want to do something great you'll have to take on some measure of risk. IMO the time to take these risks is when you have a strong fall back position. What you don't want to do is get to 30, have got things wrong repeatedly, and not have a steady income or a home or anything really to your name. You've got to know what you're going to do if things go south.

throwaway10001 13y ago

I just watched someone turn down one of these breakout companies because Microsoft offered him $30k per year more in salary—that was a terrible decision. He will not build interesting things and may not work with smart people. Interesting things....like making people click on ads? Microsoft products are used by billions of people worldwide and by virtually every Fortune () company. And then we have Microsoft Research, love or hate Microsoft as company all you want but Microsoft Research is top notch. Quite a few smart people there http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Research http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Research. Maybe not as smart as Sam Altman (the OP) but smart nonetheless.

selimthegrim 13y ago
I've met and had the opportunity to learn from top people at Microsoft Research in Santa Barbara. I guarantee you Sam Altman isn't fit to tie their shoelaces. No disrespect to him and not saying he couldn't get there, but they're just in a totally different ballpark and level of problem solving and execution. They're solving problems people don't even realize they're going to have yet.
- FakeSamAltman 13y ago
  They are solving problems people won't ever realize they're going to have.
  - selimthegrim 13y ago
    This is a fair point. But what's that saying about talent hitting the target in front of you, but genius hitting the target no one knew was there?
  - beat 13y ago
    Because if Microsoft is good at anything, it's creating new problems for their users. :)
- barry-cotter 13y ago
  I guarantee you Sam Altman isn't fit to tie their shoelaces. No disrespect to him. My ass.
  - selimthegrim 13y ago
    When Sam Altman becomes a Fields Medalist or invents a new kind of particle (that was subsequently discovered!), then we can talk about the same playing field.
    - barry-cotter 13y ago
      He's not even trying to play the same game as them. Sam Altman 's ideal looks a great deal more like Elon Musk, Steve Jobs or Bill Gates than Djikstra. Would you consider Bill Gates fit to tie a Fields Medalist's shoelaces?
argonaut 13y ago
Okay. MSFT Research is great. It would be unreasonable to offer that as a viable alternative for even a highly gifted and ambitious (but not genius-level) 19 year old.
- throwaway10001 13y ago
  Why not? If he's good to try his chance at Google like startups, why not at MSR? Can we agree that having been at MSR does wonders to your resume?

minimaxir 13y ago

Incidentally, don’t let salary be a factor. I just watched someone turn down one of these breakout companies because Microsoft offered him $30k per year more in salary—that was a terrible decision. He will not build interesting things and may not work with smart people. This article is making the implication that big corporations and job security are bad; go risk your life for an endeavor with a less-than-5% of success!

the_watcher 13y ago
That is why the title is Advice for Ambitious 19 Year Olds, not Advice for 19 Year Olds Looking for Security
- minimaxir 13y ago
  I don't see how the two are mutually exclusive. Having a solid foundation for a life-long career with real-world experience is definitely ambitious.
  - acgourley 13y ago
    Maybe by some definition of ambitious - but clearly not Sam's
  - barry-cotter 13y ago
    They're not exclusive but maximising for security and ambition/impact lead in very different directions. There is not always and everywhere a risk reward trade off but in any but a very young field it's the way to bet.
intrazoo 13y ago
"The reason I suggested college graduates not start startups immediately was that I felt most would fail. And they will. But ambitious programmers are better off doing their own thing and failing than going to work at a big company. Certainly they'll learn more. They might even be better off financially. A lot of people in their early twenties get into debt, because their expenses grow even faster than the salary that seemed so high when they left school. At least if you start a startup and fail your net worth will be zero rather than negative. " -Paul Graham

tekacs 13y ago

Heads-up in counterpoint to the second footnote: I was most definitely considering academia at 19 (I was near dead-set on it). Then I got to university and got a good look at academics, doctoral students and the environment for myself - I'm no longer so sure that it's something I want to do, at least for now. :)

avolcano 13y ago

I'm 19, and just started as a software engineer at a startup in NYC. It's been absolutely incredible - I never thought I'd be here a year ago. I'll admit that my situation isn't universal - luckily, I could get my foot in the door with many startups by being in the last batch of Hacker School - but if you, like me, hate academia and want to get to work, don't let your age stop you. Sure, there's companies that care about your schooling - the Googles, Twitters, Facebooks, and Palantirs of the world - but there are so many more that just want great hackers with awesome GitHub profiles and real-world chops. (and, of course, make sure to never stop learning on your own time! You will, inevitably, have gaps in your knowledge you missed from school, but between Coursera, the availability of free textbooks and lectures, and other resources, it's not hard to remedy that on your own)

Selfcommit 13y ago
Please understand that my intent here is not to begrudge you in any way - I think it's wonderful that you're working as an SE at such a young age - but.. I'm 10 years older than you. I code in the evenings, I spend my morning commute listing to any computer science online course I can find... I have over 5 years experience as a Systems Admin... I've interviewed with a number of big companies and startups but I don't feel nearly prepared enough to land an SE role. How is it possible a 19 year old can? I can accept that perhaps that 19 year old is just more clever than I am, but I'm a pretty clever guy. What am I missing?
- Jabbles 13y ago
  Tell us what you think is missing. You don't "feel nearly prepared". Have you prepared? These interviews (for better or worse) tend to be algorithm based. How are you on those?
  - Selfcommit 13y ago
    Example scenario: If you ask me to solve a problem, I can intelligently talk to you about what a program that solves that problem is expected to do, and happily whiteboard a big picture idea. If I don't know the language required for implementation, that's ok because I'm pretty confident I can work out the basics and what I need to code. To meet your points: A) I haven't really put myself out there in a while(over a year), I've been 'prepping' B) My algorithm's are poor. While I understand the concept of Big O notation, I can't readily look at something and say "oh that's a _______ sort"

peter_l_downs 13y ago

> No matter what you choose, build stuff and be around smart people. I'm 19, and this rings true for me. I put off my admission to MIT to take a "gap year" and work at a tech startup in SF. The most interesting and enjoyable moments have come from building with and learning from my co-workers, all of whom are brilliant. Other young people reading this: I've found taking a gap year to be a good hedge between "I want to start my own company", "I want to go to university", and "I want to work in the real world and see what that's like."

sevenironcows 13y ago
Me too! Spent my gap year working at an awesome startup in London and learned a crazy amount. Sadly one now needs to work out whether taking up that place at University is worthwhile. For me, whilst staying in "the real world" is an attractive option, going to Uni seems like the choice which will open the most doors long run. Very happy to be proved wrong on that on, however.
- corin_ 13y ago
  I have no idea what the right answer, if there is one, would be for you, but here's the question that helped for me: Rather than thinking about what opportunities either might give you, looking 10-20 years ahead which option do you think you might most regret chosing?

PencilAndPaper 13y ago

>>However, getting nothing done for four of your most productive years is actually pretty risky. This is how I feel about my post secondary education. I regret being herded into it and wasting all of those years parroting and memorizing so that I could learn "critical thinking"

beat 13y ago

I just hired a talented, ambitious 18 year old graphic designer as my first employee. I've known her for several years as a close friend of my daughter (me, I'm old enough to have 19 year old children), and I thought of her because I felt she has what it takes to be not just a good graphic designer, but a good startup employee. And with her freshly out of school and in no financial position to go to college, she sees the opportunity. Even if the startup fails, she can probably eke a couple of years of professional experience and a reference out of the deal - enough to get her on the path to a nice career. And if the startup succeeds, she has the career and could make enough in options to pay for art school. Because she's smart and ambitious, she sees the logic of the situation. I have no doubt I'll get great work from her.

kayoone 13y ago

"Incidentally, don’t let salary be a factor. I just watched someone turn down one of these breakout companies because Microsoft offered him $30k per year more in salary—that was a terrible decision. He will not build interesting things and may not work with smart people." That quote drips so much of elitism its disgusting. MS still has many brilliant engineers and is building alot of really complex stuff, probably more than your average startup ever will. This is the kind of talk i find really off putting about the whole startup-scene...

notaddicted 13y ago
Only people with money say "Don't worry about money".
- sama 13y ago
  I still said that when I had a negative checking account balance while starting my company. I think you should worry about money, but that you should take a long-term view of it.
  - enraged_camel 13y ago
    Only people with a nice fallback cushion can afford to say "take a long-term view of money" when their checking account is in the negatives. Let's face it: if you are having trouble feeding yourself, your view on money will be extremely short-term. As it should be.
    - jiggy2011 13y ago
      To be fair, most decent development jobs will pay you enough to feed and shelter yourself especially if you are a healthy 19 year old with no dependents. So the difference the extra money makes is likely to just mean lifestyle changes like taking the bus instead of driving a new car and less ambitious holidays. If you can put up with that for a few years then it makes sense to take a lower paying job if you believe it will have better long term prospects.

susi22 13y ago

This is awful advice. I'm sorry but when you're 19 you should go out into the _world_ (not the US) and discover it. Go book a cheap flight to South America and go backpacking for a few months. Live on $300 a month, meet interesting people. Techies, nerds and entrepreneurs aren't _that_ interesting. But sure, if all that you care about is success and you happen to define success like most other Americans (i.e. by making the most money) then go ahead and work as hard as you can and make that million. But please don't complain about your burnout when you're 30-40. There is way more than money and work in this live. Don't work too hard especially when you're young. If you waste a year or two, nothing will run away and your opportunities will still be there when you're 25.

jamesaguilar 13y ago
> If you waste a year or two, nothing will run away and your opportunities will still be there when you're 25. Something tells me this is an aspirational claim rather than a statement with empirical support. On the other hand, there is a lot of data to support the view that being out of work for years is very bad for finding a job when you finally do want one.
- ritchiea 13y ago
  I disagree. There are lots of different types of venturing out into the world that aren't necessarily just bumming around on the beach. I went traveling when I was 20 and ended up spending months at a hostel in exchange for building them a new website. And not only was I working, but I was also spending time with people older than my peers in the US and hearing about their life experiences. If you travel with the right mindset, it can be just as much of a growth experience as working at an interesting company.
  - jamesaguilar 13y ago
    I don't think you've contradicted anything I said, but maybe I'm misreading you? I said being out of work for years is known to lead to worse employment outcomes in some cases. You said, "I disagree, you can travel and not be out of work." So, you don't disagree, in other words? Anyway, I'm not saying that one shouldn't travel, even if you don't work while traveling. But let's not fool ourselves into thinking there are no risks involved. You should be aware of the pros and cons of both approaches and balance them with your personal preferences.

adriancooney 13y ago

I have this exact dilemma of whether to stay in college and build projects on the side or leave college and get a job at a start up or create my own. I'd love to be able to choose the latter but the one thing that's holding me back is that I'm in Ireland and it's not exactly Silicon Valley when it comes to the start-up scene. It's extremely frustrating because I have the talent and skills but companies feel it's too high of a risk to relocate and house an 19 year old undergraduate but it's understandable.

jtbigwoo 13y ago
Your clock isn't running out to the extent that you think it is. At the rate most of us go these days, you've got forty more working years, with at least 10 to fifteen childless years if you continue to be drawn to entrepreneurship. I'd suggest making the choice that moves you toward your goal while still leaving as many doors open as possible.

jmgrosen 13y ago

Anyone have any particular advice for an ambitious 14 year old with three years left of high school?

anonymoushn 13y ago
Most states have a program similar to TAMS (tams.unt.edu). Do that. Maybe 1/3 of the value of this program is that you will graduate earlier. The other 2/3 of the value is that you will meet a bunch of people who also did the program, and you will know them for the rest of your life.
samsnelling 13y ago
Yep. Keep learning. Read as much as you can. Start lots of projects. Try and finish them. I am 21 and just sold my first startup while finishing my last year in college. I started programming at 13ish, and have never stopped reading and learning. Don't get caught up in what your parents or friends say (it's hard explaining SaaS to people who don't quite "get it"), but make sure you keep whatever you build simple enough for them to intuitively use your project. There's no reason why you can't launch something and start building something now. Go and do it, and a lot of people will lend a helping hand as you go.
ISL 13y ago
Master things. Be a good person. Keep options open. Explore.

dotBen 13y ago

If you are not a US Citizen and think your career might take you here/want to come here to the US, then you should do college. Not having even a crappy and unnecessary degree from a crappy university made my ability to work in the US very very difficult, and all future immigration reform for high-skilled workers still orientates around STEM qualifications.

michaelochurch 13y ago

Becoming employee number 50 at a company that still has a good chance of failure is the wrong kind of risk. I agree. Actually, those VC darlings aren't likely to fail in the classic, pink-slips-for-all, sense because the VCs have already worked out an emergency acq-hire and a backup emergency acq-hire. They are, however, likely to fail you, which is worse. Now you have to explain a bad separation from a company that still exists and has pump-and-dump VCs and tech press (still in the "pump" phase, obviously) propping up its reputation. If you join a company, my general advice is to join a company on a breakout trajectory. There are a usually a handful of these at a time, and they are usually identifiable to a smart young person. Citation needed. I'm no longer very young (I'm 30) but I'm quite smart and still 0 for 2 when it comes to picking startups. Incidentally, I don't doubt that I'm better at judging companies than most engineers and VCs; I'm probably above 95th percentile in judgment of talent (judgment of character I could work on) but it's just really hard to forecast startups. Most people who think they can do it, can't. Most people who think they can't do it are right. Also, most of us don't pick from the full space of companies, either. We pick opportunities that make sense in the context of our career stories (career coherency). For example, I'm reaching an age where non-senior/lead roles (except at top AI labs or hedge funds) don't really make sense anymore. If I'm not a strong match (enough to qualify for a senior role) it doesn't make sense for me to apply even if the company looks like a "rocket ship", because a junior role is not acceptable at my stage unless the people are known, world-class entities.

pchristensen 13y ago
company on a breakout trajectory I think he's talking about companies like Square now, Groupon a few years ago, Facebook a few years before that, Google a few years before that. $1B+ valuations, positive glowing aura, disproportionate talent attraction. The kind of company where you can tell almost anyone you work there and they say "Wow, what's that like?"
- michaelochurch 13y ago
  Sure, but by the time companies are at that point, the equity they give out is trivial (sub-0.01%) and the important positions are already filled.

cosmc 13y ago

A lot of this feels like bad advice. Like playing penny stocks rather than index funds. I am 18, and saying that my most productive years are from 20-25 seems shortsighted and arrogant. The startup community, although cool and interesting, seems like a gold rush situation to me. That's why I plan to get my CS degree, and get a stable job, such as one at MS (which the author seems to look down upon). I could see joining/starting a startup, if the opportunity popped up, but seeking a risky situation irks me.Maybe I am just risk adverse?

codegeek 13y ago

My suggestion to 19 year olds. Be careful with this blog post. "working at an already-massively-successful company means you will learn much less, and probably work with less impressive people." Seriously? Yes big companies have lots of bureaucratic crap and things take longer blah blah. However, you do not want to be giving this advice to an "ambitious" 19 year old. Big companies have a lot of smart and impressive people. Lots. They also can teach you a thing or 2 about the "real world". "Incidentally, don’t let salary be a factor. I just watched someone turn down one of these breakout companies because Microsoft offered him $30k per year more in salary—that was a terrible decision." Let me provide the other side of this. You are giving up $30K in salary today as a 19 year old. Now, lets imagine that you need to get a job soon again since that "awesome breakout" company actually failed, what do you think is going to happen ? Yes, you will not be able to negotiate as high a salary as you could have if you had that extra $30K. It is not just about $30K. It is about having the power to negotiate next time if you move which you probably will as a 19 year old.

jenius 13y ago

I don't think easily identifying companies that will "almost certainly be successful" is within the capabilities of any normal human being. Even the absolute best people at identifying successful companies get more wrong than they get right (the right ones just pay well enough to cover the wrongs). Even if it was only that statement I took issue with, that would be enough to make me say that this is not actually good advice for a 19-year-old. Be realistic when giving advice...

bliker 13y ago

I expected advice. Now I am more indecisive than before.

jmduke 13y ago

Ah yes, eschew Microsoft, the company that has literally thousands of employees devoted purely to research (a number of whom have won Turing awards) to work for a startup which is more likely than not to be in the business of producing a Rails CRUD app. After all, you need to be surrounded by (people who call themselves) hackers. My advice for ambitious 19 year olds: ask your parents for advice, because they likely know you better than anyone on the internet. (I say this as someone two years your senior)

arizzitano 13y ago

"working at an already-massively-successful company means you will learn much less, and probably work with less impressive people." Not true. I learned more in my first month at a "big company" than in the two years I spent in the startup world. I started out working for startups, and while it was fun at first, it was a big mistake. My development skills ended up stunted and patchy from churning out MVP after MVP. I never learned how to maintain or scale an application, since most of the time I was just pounding code as fast as I could, hoping to score more funding. Since most of my coworkers were also young and inexperienced, I learned little of value and picked up a lot of bad habits. Maybe I just wasn't enough of a "smart young person" to pick ideal companies, but really, who is? That's just my personal experience, but my point is that startups don't necessarily equal prime education. If you really want to learn and grow, find a team of disciplined people who understand and enjoy their work. Maybe it's a startup, maybe it's MSFT -- the size of a company doesn't necessarily dictate its viability as a learning experience.

cperciva 13y ago

“I’m an ambitious 19 year old, what should I do?” This is an interesting question, in my experience: The sets of "most ambitious people I know" and "people who describe themselves as ambitious" seem to be entirely disjoint. The most ambitious people I know just go out and do things, rather than sitting around thinking (and talking) about how ambitious they are. This may be a cultural thing -- self-describing as "ambitious" is the sort of thing which I find tends to happen thanks to high school career preparation programs (along with "organized", "reliable", and "good with people"), and it's entirely possible that those school programs are subtly different in the US than in Canada. However, I can't shake the feeling that there's a kernel of truth here.

gregpilling 13y ago

I was once an ambitious 20 year old (1990). I found that I had an overpowering urge to do something, and the only part that held me back was that the old people didn't wan't me to. So I wore them out until I could. I certainly didn't ask for advice - all the unsolicited advice I was given told me I was on the wrong path. So I got a franchise at 20, then ran it as best I could, made a some money and won some awards. If I was 20 today I would probably make some sort of SaaS product. I certainly wouldn't be asking “I’m an ambitious 19 year old, what should I do?” Of course, some people don't have an overpowering urge to do anything. So maybe these are the people who ask that question. I once employed a mechanical engineer like that - at 30 he had no ambitions, no dreams. He didn't last long at my company because he also lacked skill and was slow. I am 43 now, and the urge is subdued but still there. I think if you have a drive in you to make something, then you should go make it. Don't ask for permission and certainly don't wait for permission. Just go do it. When you fail, if you fail, pick yourself up and try again. You only really fail when you stop trying. My advice for ambitious 19 year olds? Just go do what drives you. If nothing drives you, find someone who is driven and help them.

QuantumGuy 13y ago

I am 19 and I think this is terrible advice.I would love to work at Microsoft not just because of the pay but because of the people I would work with. Some of the greatest minds in the world call Microsoft their place of work. Mind you I am doing my own thing and not looking to get hired but still if presented the chance I would take it.

sama 13y ago

ok, last comment on this. this was meant to be more about how to have the biggest impact with your life than how to make a little more money. and it certainly doesn't apply to everyone--hence the title. many people will me much happier not following it. on the money side, there is nothing wrong with taking a job that pays you $30k more. most people ramp up their spending and don't save that ~$20k (post-tax) extra, but if you do, more power to you. that $30k will never in your lifetime compound to $100MM, but if that's not what you're shooting for, that's obviously fine. it's certainly a much less risky path.

nostrademons 13y ago
The part that rang false for me was equating "learning more" with "earning less". In my experience that's been a false dichotomy. If it's obvious that you'll learn more in one job, then yes, take that one. But if you're choosing between two jobs and you can't decide which one will teach you more, pick the one that pays more, because: 1.) Paying you more indicates that they have more to pay; their top-line is higher, which means they're probably in a more lucrative and dynamic industry. 2.) Paying you more means they value you more, which indicates they may have more work for you to do and be willing to give you more responsibility. In my first job out of college, I had a choice between 3 jobs. One was a public radio non-profit that needed a techie. One was a VC-funded financial software startup. One was a bootstrapped financial software startup. The last offered me about $15K/year more than the others. When I left it two years later, I'd seen two products through from idea to launch. The VC-funded startup actually had a better outcome for the company (they got bought), but I wouldn't have seen much if any of that cash, and since their product was already pretty set in stone by the time I was interviewing, I wouldn't have had nearly as much of a chance to learn and make decisions.
gms 13y ago
Why don't you use capital letters? The rest of your grammar and punctuation is rather standard, so this sticks out.

jonnathanson 13y ago

It's often dismissed as cheesy, but it's the most important career advice there is: find your passion. Ninety nine people out of 100 never have a great answer to the question, "Where do you want to be in 10 years?" Instead, they treat their careers in ad hoc fashion, hopping opportunistically from job to job. The best way to succeed is to have a very clear answer to that cheesy question. Such a clear answer that you're almost burned by its intensity. Such a clear answer that it guides your every move. This clarity of vision will allow you to weather temporary failures and setbacks, and it'll provide you a roadmap for the climb up the mountain. This is what separates the brilliant-and-hard-working from the brilliant-and-hard-working-and-uber-successful. The world is full of brilliant, hard working people who never get a "lucky break." The secret is that the "lucky break" is often the result of many years of directed effort. So keep that in mind as you go along. If you want to achieve tremendous success in any field, there's a buildup period of at least 5 years, and often more than a decade. It really pays to pick your path early, and to stick to it. Obviously, some folks have taken more circuitous paths to success, and that's totally cool. But ask most of the majorly successful people in any profession what got them there, and they will tell you they focused relentlessly on it. Ambition isn't enough; ambition needs direction. Find the ladder you want to climb, and start climbing it -- because most ladders are pretty damned tall, and hopping between them gets tougher the older you get. I say this having learned it the hard way. I traded what I want to do for what I "should" do for many years, and now I'm trying to catch back up to my vision. I still have time, but I wish I'd been honest with myself at 19.

davelocity 13y ago
great comment. a lot of people don't take the time to step back and think what they really want.
LatvjuAvs 13y ago
I do not want to be someone in future, 10 years, or even 30 years. I am here, now, enjoying myself :) Money, position, income, it is forced drug we must take so enjoyment could be numbed.

lettergram 13y ago

My intent is a mixture of both, I'm taking the safer route. Go to college, work on projects (in school and out), then i'm going to (hopefully) get paid at a corporation, get some experience. Then when I have a life settled when i'm 25-26 start a company, with a bit of financial backing, no student loans, it makes more sense than going out with no support and no experience (in my view).

sbuccini 13y ago

I faced this dilemna last year. I chose college, and it was t he best decision of my life. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, I could learn how to code by sheer willpower and practice. But the people I've met and the things I have learned, not just academic lessons but lessons about life as well, have already made the experience worth it. My advice to people in my situation is to really, really think about your decision. It's sexy to drop out these days, but it's not always the right thing to do

pg 13y ago

Sam was just telling me how much he regretted looking at this thread. "Oh, you should never read Hacker News comments about anything you write," I told him. Whereupon it immediately struck me how strange and sad it was to be saying this, as the person who started HN. Seriously, some of the comments on this thread are HN at its very worst: bitter, willful misinterpretations of what Sam is saying.

majani 13y ago
I think a lot of the blowback Sam gets around here can actually be attributed to you presenting him as your "favourite founder" when its not apparent to the rest of us what makes him so great.
- dutchbrit 13y ago
  I'm probably going to get down-voted for this, but here goes. Have you met Sam in person? Have you experienced his energy? His vibe? I can't say I have, but I think a lot of people pre-judge others without actually even meeting them. I didn't know PG presented him as his 'one favourite founder', but if he really does, I guess there has to be a very good reason... That being said, he might just recognise a lot of himself in Sam. The way you put it makes it sound like the rest of HN is just bashing him out of jealously in all honesty, which is, well, just for the wrong reason & plain sad at the end of the day.
- onedev 13y ago
  I like mint chocolate chip ice cream. I don't give a fuck if it's not apparent to anyone else what makes it so great. I like how it tastes. Why is it unreasonable for PG to have someone as his favorite founder? What if they're just good friends and he really resonates with this Sam guy? Why does it matter if you can't see what's so great about someone you've never met in your life? Maybe Sam is funny in person and has a great attitude. You wouldn't know. Just accept it for what it is. Maybe PG's reasons ARE irrational. Who cares? I have a ton of irrational favorite things. You people are crazy sometimes.
dutchbrit 13y ago
I wholeheartedly agree, some people here really miss the point, including myself from time to time. Sam, I actually think your advise is really good, I wish I'd followed this when I was 19. But I'm still ambitious, I'm not too late. Thanks for the good read!

eshvk 13y ago

Interesting. I see two types of assumptions (in the comments): 1. MSR does cool research projects, any one joins has a chance of working on those. A large percentage of the people who work there are research PhDs. Similarly working at Google doesn't necessarily mean you get closer to flying balloons or whatever. 2. Money is bad, learning/glory is good. Simplistic. Spouted by people who can't pay you well. My response: I am curious, I will learn anywhere. Fuck You, Pay Me.

aphelion 13y ago

The thing about risk-seeking ambitious 19 year olds is that they have absolutely no real idea what risk is, or what their real ambitions for their life will be.

rats 13y ago

Guys, anyone. What is "W record"?