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Ask HN: 9to5/Consulting/Startup, where are/were you most happy?

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Re: Ask HN: 9to5/Consulting/Startup, where are/were you most happy?

#11

Post by edw519 »

My experience:

                |  % of time   |  % of time   | % of time
      mode      |  working on  | cleaning up  | wasted on
                | my own stuff | others' crap | other B.S.
  --------------+--------------+--------------+------------              
  a. 9 to 5     |      10      |      40      |     50     
  b. consulting |      30      |      40      |     30
  c. start-up   |     100      |       0      |      0
The winner: c.

Re: Ask HN: 9to5/Consulting/Startup, where are/were you most happy?

#12

Post by jackowayed »

edw519 wrote: post #11

My experience: | % of time | % of time | % of time mode | working on | cleaning up | wasted on | my own stuff | others' crap | other B.S. --------------+--------------+--------------+------------ a. 9 to 5 | 10 | 40 | 50 b. consulting | 30 | 40 | 30 c. start-up | 100 | 0 | 0 The winner: c.

From what I hear there's a lot of BS to deal with when you run a startup. You have to run the business, so there's accounting stuff to deal with and such. There's support. Eventually there's raising money and hiring people, both of which often take way longer than they should and are frustrating, but they're both very important.

Sure, it may not feel as unproductive as sitting in meetings all day and not accomplishing anything, but it's still time that you're doing annoying tasks instead of hacking.

Re: Ask HN: 9to5/Consulting/Startup, where are/were you most happy?

#13

Post by gaustin »

I've worked for small businesses and big hulking bureaucracies. I've done a little contracting. I'm always searching for a place or set of circumstances where I can joyfully engage and excel for the long term. One of my biggest character flaws is my tendency to be restless and dissatisfied.

I guess my most happy place would be contracting or consulting. University was also a very happy and stimulating time for me, though I didn't realize it at the time.

I'm having a really difficult time with my career path and work life at the moment. Can you tell?

Re: Ask HN: 9to5/Consulting/Startup, where are/were you most happy?

#14

Post by edw519 »

jackowayed wrote: post #12
edw519 wrote: post #11

My experience: | % of time | % of time | % of time mode | working on | cleaning up | wasted on | my own stuff | others' crap | other B.S. --------------+--------------+--------------+------------ a. 9 to 5 | 10 | 40 | 50 b. consulting | 30 | 40 | 30 c. start-up | 100 | 0 | 0 The winner: c.

From what I hear there's a lot of BS to deal with when you run a startup. You have to run the business, so there's accounting stuff to deal with and such. There's support. Eventually there's raising money and hiring people, both of which often take way longer than they should and are frustrating, but they're both very important. Sure, it may not feel as unproductive as sitting in meetings all day and not accomplishin…

Of course. That's why I entitled Column 1 "working on my own stuff" instead of "writing my own software".

  Good:    writing someone else's software
  Better:  working on my own business (not writing software)
  Best:    writing my own software
A start-up includes "Better" and "Best". Both fall into Column 1.

Re: Ask HN: 9to5/Consulting/Startup, where are/were you most happy?

#15

Post by lee »

I haven't worked full time on my owns startup before. But I have worked at 3 different startups in the period of 3 years as an employee before landing a cushy job in a big corporation.

Working at the startup before having my first child: not too bad, sometimes stressful, but I could handle it well. The work was always engaging, and it was hard to separate work from life.

Working at startup post-child: stressful, because now having a kid means I can't put in long hours at work as my family needs me at home. I would much rather forget about work and focus on the needs of my family when 5 PM rolls by. I was more susceptible to burn out once I started my family + working at a startup.

Big Corp: lack of stress, nice compensation + benefits = happiest workplace. The slower pace does not drive me crazy, and instead it gives me a chance to indulge in my technical curiosities.

For now, I'm enjoying my big corp employment. It's only been 3 months so far, and I realize that may change if I have to deal with more corporate BS, but it's the most enjoyable workplace I've been at so far.

The catch here is that my team here is top notch, and the section I'm in is very engineering/hacker oriented.

Re: Ask HN: 9to5/Consulting/Startup, where are/were you most happy?

#16

Post by omarish »

jackowayed wrote: post #12
edw519 wrote: post #11

My experience: | % of time | % of time | % of time mode | working on | cleaning up | wasted on | my own stuff | others' crap | other B.S. --------------+--------------+--------------+------------ a. 9 to 5 | 10 | 40 | 50 b. consulting | 30 | 40 | 30 c. start-up | 100 | 0 | 0 The winner: c.

From what I hear there's a lot of BS to deal with when you run a startup. You have to run the business, so there's accounting stuff to deal with and such. There's support. Eventually there's raising money and hiring people, both of which often take way longer than they should and are frustrating, but they're both very important. Sure, it may not feel as unproductive as sitting in meetings all day and not accomplishin…

it's not really BS because it's your BS. I think the issue is motivation.

Re: Ask HN: 9to5/Consulting/Startup, where are/were you most happy?

#17

Post by damoncali »

I've done all three. Working for the man is the easiest and most soul-crushing. Shaking the idea that you are wasting your life away is not easy - because you are.

Working on a startup is the most difficult, and the most draining. It requires some personal sacrifices that have negative side effects, even if you don't buy into the "work 100 hour weeks" BS. Emotionally, it's draining. Financially, it sucks - until it doesn't (if you ever get that far). Once investors step in, the stress ratchets up and things just generally become a pain in the ass. On the plus side, you're living it - making something from nothing in an all-out effort. To bad "living it" gets pretty old after a while (and it takes more than a while to get something good going).

Consulting is a great balance for me. I work on my own stuff a lot, meet great people, do interesting things and generally live a low stress life. Financially, it's ok. I'm not getting rich, but it's better than startup pay (.i.e. zero). The one drawback is the nagging thought that your side project could be a "real startup" if you just put more effort into it and got some other people involved...

So basically, pick your poison. There's a flavor for everyone.

Re: Ask HN: 9to5/Consulting/Startup, where are/were you most happy?

#18

Post by erikstarck »

I've worked for 11-12 years in startups, as a consultant (both freelance and employed by bigger firms) and in 9-to-5s building products for the man.

They all have ups and downs but if there's any one conclusion to draw from my experience it's that the most important thing to make you happy is the people you work with day to day.

The second thing is having a life outside work.

The third would be a job that makes meaning.

Adding it together I would think that starting a small consultancy business together with people I know I enjoy working with would be the optimal scenario.

Why not a product based startup? A startup has to consume almost all your mental energy. It's much more uncertain, more stress. Sure, the highs are higher, but the lows are also much lower.

Re: Ask HN: 9to5/Consulting/Startup, where are/were you most happy?

#19

Post by erikstarck »

edw519 wrote: post #11

My experience: | % of time | % of time | % of time mode | working on | cleaning up | wasted on | my own stuff | others' crap | other B.S. --------------+--------------+--------------+------------ a. 9 to 5 | 10 | 40 | 50 b. consulting | 30 | 40 | 30 c. start-up | 100 | 0 | 0 The winner: c.

Next week I will go from freelance to employed 4 days/week. That's a fourth option: 9 to 5 but not a full week.

If you want to know how I'm doing follow my blog Opportunity Cloud.

Re: Ask HN: 9to5/Consulting/Startup, where are/were you most happy?

#20

Post by dangravell »

jackowayed wrote: post #12
edw519 wrote: post #11

My experience: | % of time | % of time | % of time mode | working on | cleaning up | wasted on | my own stuff | others' crap | other B.S. --------------+--------------+--------------+------------ a. 9 to 5 | 10 | 40 | 50 b. consulting | 30 | 40 | 30 c. start-up | 100 | 0 | 0 The winner: c.

From what I hear there's a lot of BS to deal with when you run a startup. You have to run the business, so there's accounting stuff to deal with and such. There's support. Eventually there's raising money and hiring people, both of which often take way longer than they should and are frustrating, but they're both very important. Sure, it may not feel as unproductive as sitting in meetings all day and not accomplishin…

Not sure what you mean by support, but supporting users of your stuff, getting feedback and even just having a conversation about what you've made is one of the most rewarding parts of running your own business.
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