> What doesn't make it any easier is that I'm 20, I have no college diploma
Most people in my college class joined at age 20...
I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
171–180 of 350 posts
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#172Your honesty is commendable. And of value, to yourself and others. Take it from someone who has been in your shoes - it gets better. I promise. Falling off the horse is not the problem: it's the standing back up (ouch that hurt!), dusting yourself off, catching that horse, and getting back on that is the challenge. This is the challenge of life, and business. Setbacks are challenges that teach us that we can cope and overcome adversity. And as you have enough of these setbacks, you get better at handling future setbacks. And your confidence grows. Do everything you can to overcome this point. You will make it back onto the horse, and you will be better for it. I promise. I did, and you will, too.
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#173Dude, don't harm yourself, it's just no worth it. Even living on welfare is better than giving up life entirely. I have struggled with thoughts like that for years myself, and I've been graced enough to know it's never worth it. My company, Bloomberg, is hiring a lot right now. Email me (http://scr.im/daveslab) at any time if you're looking for a nice place to work, even if it's just to get back on your feet again.
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#174Ah brother. You have only begun to understand the pain of entrepreneurialism. This is what separates Those who eventually find success and those who give up and go back to a corporate job.
We have to stand up to depression, zero support, family abuse, eating crackers...and gut-wrenching despair.
All because we believe in ourselves.
Stand up brother. Your path has not ended. It has only begun. Learn. Live. Try again.
David C.
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#175I did quit my full-time job. So did I. Many times. About half the time it worked out great. The other half, it sucked, just like yours does now. You are not alone. I'm constantly broke, on the verge of poverty... Then get a job, any job. It doesn't have to be programming. It'll get you out of the house, get you with other people, and put a few bucks in your pocket. If you love programming enough, you'll find time to…
Excellent advice from edw519. I only want to add that you are welcome to contact me (I'm a pastor and a programmer :-) if you need more help with the depression and suicidal thoughts. My contact information is in my profile. My startup is a church congregation ... which in some ways is nothing like a technology startup, but in other ways is very similar. So I understand everything you wrote.
Keep up the good work. Thank you for reaching out and shining the light,
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#176I just want to let you know, people are here to help you out.
Start-up people (from my experience anyway) are the outcasts, but being different is what liberates us.
We stick together, help out in any way we can, and share in our successes AND failures.
I commend you for not only getting over the fear of taking the start-up leap, but also being honest with everyone on Hacker News.
There are VERY few people I know with that amount of bravery, and it is something you should be proud of.
You are not an idiot, and your father probably just doesn't fully understand what happened.
Everyone has problems, but often hide behind a false mask of growth and prosperity. Things are not always what they seem.
I'm sure the people here on HN would be happy to help you out in any way possible, including myself.
We need to stick together in the good times and the bad.
Things will get better. They will.
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#177About 8 years ago I quit my job at a great company to start a business. I had no idea what I was doing. About 2 years later, my co-founder had quit, I had not seen a drop of income from the business, I had burned through a good chunk of savings, and I felt like a failure. I was living in a studio apartment in san francisco, using my closet as an office (the desk fit in there, but I didn't when seated at it). I was so upset about the whole thing that I would wake up in the morning at 5AM, be nauseous, then be so miserable that I would go back to sleep. There was a 3-4 year period where I was working so hard, and then so ashamed, that I turned away dates because I didn't want to answer the 'what do you do' question. It was definitely the lowest point of my life.
I decided to apply to law school, and I had just missed the cycle, so it was going to be another year before I got a response. I kept working on the business because I couldn't think of anything else to do. In the next year, the business improved enough that I decided not to go to law school. It kept getting better and better. About 3.5 years in, I stopped telling people it was a failure. The truth was that by that time, it was a very good deal and I could no longer deny it.
My point is not that you should keep doing what you are doing (or that you should apply to law school). Its just that bad times get better. I think the number one thing you can do for yourself is keep moving forward. It doesn't have to be big, just a small step each day in a positive direction. One great thing you can do, in my opinion, is work out. Even if you are unemployed for the next year, at least you will be fit and trim at the end of it. You can jog for free.
Mostly, I wanted to communicate that things will get better, just keep moving forward...
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#178Dude, wake up! If you are so unable to stand on your feet or find a new job what had you done if you would laid-off?
Isn't it a time for you to think a little deeper and stop being a loser?
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#179The youngest self made billionaire was 23 when it happened for him, and that was with a ton of connections. Relax, you still have 3 more years before you're a failure.
When I was 21 I tried to do what you tried to do here, and I ended up living with my sister with -$83 in the bank by the time it was all said and done. I am 24 now and doing much better in life, but it was a long road to get here. I can promise you that it will get better, but you will have to work for it.
My suggestions:
- Start filling out applications for any and every job. Get a job. It doesn't matter if it's cleaning toilets or flipping burgers. Right now there are people with PHD's who are riding on the back of a garbage truck. Put your pride and passions behind you, and take any job you can get.
- Until you get that job, do anything you can to get money. Go door to door with a lawn mower and cut grass. Troll the free section on craigslist and find a way to sell the items listed there. Walk into the small mom and pop shops in your area and ask if they need any help involving IT whether it be building a website, designing a flyer, setting up a wireless network, fixing a computer, anything. Ask if you can leave your number with them if anything should come up in the future.
There's always a way to make a few extra dollars, and you'd be surprised how much small businesses are willing to help out someone down on their luck who actually wants to work. Swallow your pride, get out of the house, and get face to face with people who have succeeded where you have failed.
Best of luck to you.
Re: I quit my job last March and it was a bad idea.
#180So, here's my story; I tell it occasionally when stories like yours come up. I had no college experience, but did manage to jump right in to a good I.T. job while I was still in high school, and from there into an even better I.T. job in another state where I made more money than I knew what to do with. (I've never been good with money, and didn't understand what "savings" meant.) I worked there until suddenly one da…
> At one point, my expenses were literally: food, and gas for the car. And that was it. I had no bank account, I got my checks cashed at the grocery store
How much were you paying to cash your checks at the grocery store? This is more expensive than depositing the check in a bank or credit union (I think it's on the level of payday loans, gouging lower income because they don't understand the relative size of the fee).
> So, if your friends are giving you a hard time, tell 'em to knock it the hell off. Or find new friends
Knock it off, maybe. Find new friends? That seems silly. Grow a thicker skin and joke right back at them.