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Ask HN: Career and life advice for a 30yo

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Re: Ask HN: Career and life advice for a 30yo

#81

Post by And1 »

It's like looking in a mirror.

I hit this wall last year and I realized that I had to either: accept that work gets you money and you can live with stability and comfort and pursue your hobbies, or take a risk and see what your potential is.

I'm still figuring out what starting a company is for me (is it solo founding? freelancing? product? service?) and what I want out of my life (how do you feel about never ending uncertainty? being on call 24/7 for an unreasonable client?).

What I've found about myself is that building "a business I believe in" is really me saying "I want to be paid to help people I respect". The rest is just being willing to screw up, taking risks, being uncomfortable and having really supportive people around you that will listen when things are hard and you need to cry.

Start by taking some time off (4+ weeks) and into nature. Ask yourself what you really want.

Re: Ask HN: Career and life advice for a 30yo

#82

Post by idoby »

slavoingilizov wrote: post #77

OK. I'll try to play devil's advocate here. Disclaimer: I think of myself as an engineer. I do believe your frustration comes from observing actual issues and you're right to express your disappointment. However, I can see a lot of cynicism in your tone, and I feel there's a huge amount of judgement on those "cons" without trying to peek behind the curtain on what makes them behave like that. To provide a different v…

It's not either/or. Good luck building the next FB/Google/MS/Amazon/Apple without exceptional tech and exceptional tech people. All of those companies had breakthrough tech combined with breakthrough business ideas.

Assuming that everything is just about UX, PM and bizdev nets you the kind of mediocrity the OP is talking about. Sometimes what looks like over-engineering to the mediocre actually enables breaking new grounds in the hands of the excellent.

Re: Ask HN: Career and life advice for a 30yo

#83

Post by r0m4n0 »

cynusx wrote: post #35

I think you want to seek out companies where the main business risk is technology risk still. That would be database companies, developer tools, artificial intelligence startups, operating systems, ... Probably drones and sensor-companies also qualify but don't really know much about that industry. SpaceX's reusable rocket is a great example of technology risk and so is Tesla's affordable electric car. Most startups…

Totally agree. Quite a bit of the OP’s sentiment resonates with me. I’ve been at VMware the past 3 years and can honestly say, engineers regularly make most of the product decisions. Managers are basically just people managers and become tie breakers in debates. I also spent some time at a startup that had a very similar culture.

Find the right team for you, there are many good and bad fits.

Re: Ask HN: Career and life advice for a 30yo

#86

Post by allendoerfer »

cynusx wrote: post #35

I think you want to seek out companies where the main business risk is technology risk still. That would be database companies, developer tools, artificial intelligence startups, operating systems, ... Probably drones and sensor-companies also qualify but don't really know much about that industry. SpaceX's reusable rocket is a great example of technology risk and so is Tesla's affordable electric car. Most startups…

> I think you want to seek out companies where the main business risk is technology risk still. That would be database companies, developer tools, artificial intelligence startups, operating systems, ...

This is only true for established companies. At early stages those still might not have a proper engineering culture, whicih makes them turn into pyramid schemes sellling the dream, getting hackier and scammier with each iteration.

Re: Ask HN: Career and life advice for a 30yo

#87

Post by kfk »

ritchiea wrote: post #12

First I would take a step back and try to view the situation with less judgment. It's easy to look at the past and mythologize it and imagine it as perfect. Maybe there are more MBAs and executives and thought leaders today but the past you're romanticizing would have its own frustrations and road blocks. The other thing it sounds like you're doing is looking around for a great opportunity rather than zeroing in on a…

This is solid. From my perspective this dichotomy me/others is a false one. I am sure MBAs have their value though sometimes they get so political it's hard to separate the b/s from what they actually do. I think self assessment of what one truly wants is necessary. The poster is looking a lot outside (MBA's, new job opportunities), probably some inner work would give better results now.

Re: Ask HN: Career and life advice for a 30yo

#89

Post by lexa1979 »

I think it's time you decide if your work defines you or of it's just a way to get the money that allows you to live and to do (almost) anything you want outside your work. It's time to decide if you want to take risk and live how you want to, or to keep some security and be happy with a side-project.

Depending if you have kids/wife, your "choice" will be easier.

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