Judging from your previous HN post i take it that your reason for quitting was because you hated where you were working and were being worked out. Its difficult in such situations, but you have to be prepared to lower your expectations cause they may be set too high and that is why you are feeling bad. A lower paying job can be really satisfying, you are young and can build your skill set. Even if you were much older you can still build your skill set. Start from somewhere you can set you feet in and go from there. I would like to read a post of you succeeding in your next endeavor.
I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
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Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#62WTF? You expect your consulting to work from the first fucking month? Didn't you read any articles about it?
You are supposed to have some money reserves to keep you afloat for at least 6 moths. And you shouldn't expect your consulting to thrive until at least a year later.
It takes time to build client base and it takes time to build your personal brand. If you expected it all to magically just work you are just plain stupid^H^H^H^H^HH^H^naive.
In my case it was somewhat faster as we switched from a full-time job to working for the same company as contractors, but after a year, that first client was a tiny blip on our radar.
Work on promotion, hit all the meetups and conferences, meet people, release some cool open source, write a blog. THEN you will start getting clients.
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#63You're young, you took a risk and you failed.
There's nothing wrong with that and somewhere down the line you'll realize you actually learned something useful from all this.
Also, things could be much worse; for instance you could be an unemployed father or being hunted by money lenders or with a chronic disease and no insurance -- you're not the only one that experiences trouble in this economy, yet many people will live to see a brighter day.
You are also not an idiot. To succeed in this economy, smartness is only one factor. Others are luck, timing, the environment you live in and the acquaintances you have.
Get a job, any job whatsoever. Low paying jobs, like being a driver or a cashier or working in constructions, require more physical effort and a lot less mental effort. This is good, because you probably need a break from software development. Physical effort is also good when you're depressed and it helps you pay the rent too.
I would also move out of my parents' house as soon as I got a job that allows me to survive, as there's nothing worse when you're depressed to also be dependent on other people, especially parents that look down on you with disappointment; remember that they lived in different times when entrepreneurship and failure may not have been so common.
So take it easy and don't worry, you will recover.
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#64You say it hasn't worked out .... well, it just hasn't worked out YET. In a few weeks time ski resorts will be hiring for the winter. How about doing that for a few months? You might be very glad you did. :)
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#65I didn't earn a single cent till I was 22, and that was a research assistantship at school. I really started working outside when I was 26.
At 20, you have better things to worry about.
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#66You seem to be surrounded by people having a very bad influence on your state of mind (insulting father, friends mocking you).
Think about it for a minute, how would you feel if the people around you where understanding and kind? You'd think you made a choice that didn't work out, and that you need to get on your feet and move on. But instead you get all this bad stress from the outside!
Try to tell them it's serious, that all this means a lot to you and you need their support. That you can't take what basically amounts to constant emotional harassment. It might help them realize they're doing more harm than good.
But you can't decide for them, they might just keep at it. So the second step is spending more time with the people who care about you and won't make you feel like crap. What you hear all day everyday has a lot of influence on your outlook on life, hang around with positive-minded people, and tell the others you don't need their hate / insults. And be sure that hosting you doesn't give your parents a right to judge you.
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#67dude, you're still VERY young.. instead of crying about your lack of education, GO BACK TO SCHOOL. You whole life is ahead of you. You've lost NOTHING by taking a risk
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#68I always find comfort in the following verse no matter what the problem. Nothing ever stays the same, were always in transition. Take a minute and think about it...
Ecclesiastes 3:1-6 A Time for Everything. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: A time to be born and a time to die, A time to plant and a time to uproot, A time to kill and a time to heal, A time to tear down and a time to build, A time to weep and a time to laugh, A time to mourn and a time to dance, A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, A time to search and a time to give up, A time to keep and a time to throw away,
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#69[deleted]
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#70I totally agree that you only feel free as long as your savings last. I quit my perm job in 2009, (I didn't even have the option of going back to my parents) it was tough and very depressing!
However just because it hasn't worked out so far for you doesn't mean it won't lead to better things.
No one is an idiot that quits a job that makes them miserable. You've used the resources you have available to get you out of a job that you hated. The fact that you are only 20, have moved back in with your parents and have no debt means you (heck, you even had 4 months savings!) shows that you are responsible. It's not like you're 45, with 5 kids and a mortgage.
There's nothing wrong with wanting something better out of life even if you don't know what that is right now.
It's easy for your judgement to become clouded especially when you have the pressure of friends/family telling you what they think. I think there is a fine line between free and lost.
It may not seem like it but you've got quite a few options. First it starts with looking at your budget, how much exactly do you need each month to cover your bills & spending money while you're at your parents?
Get a part-time job that covers this amount (maybe a little extra for savings)
Once you have some cash flow you could consider the following options :-
Studying art (as you have mentioned) Saving up to travel, to get some perspective on what you are interested in. *Using your free time to improve your portfolio, network & build a demand for your work. You can work freely, no eye on the clock because you're backed up by your part-time income.
You were logical and brave enough to make the first decision don't let others opinions paralyse into not taking the next step.
There are plenty of people that need a coder for their projects who could maybe cover your living expenses during development and a then share of the profits once it's up and running. I know I've got a few!
Like others have said, keep promoting your work, you're now free to take up opportunities that arise.