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Paul Graham convinced me to drop out of school / quit my job [Vote up if true]

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Re: Paul Graham convinced me to drop out of school / quit my job [Vote up if true]

#21

Post by AurSaraf »

ClintonKarr wrote: post #18

I can't say that I've quit my job, but Paul Graham does make some interesting points. The question that is stuck in my head is "what should I do if I have an idea for a Web service, but have no technical 'know-how?'" Is it worth approaching YCombinator?

Hello. I am Aur Saraf.

Simply put, no.

Start ups are about work, not ideas. Ideas flow freely with some people (like me) that just have about one idea per day worth implementation.

The skill to bring a product to life is the critical part.

Still, since you shouldn't drop the idea of starting a start up, you should either find someone with the technical know how (track down my email and email me for help in that) or go for an idea where you can contribute 100%.

Just my opinion, of course, though I highly doubt anyone would disagree (yes, this is a challenge).

Aur Saraf

Re: Paul Graham convinced me to drop out of school / quit my job [Vote up if true]

#22

Post by zaidf »

python_kiss wrote: post #17
python_kiss wrote: post #12

I was in love with Electrical Engineering. But reading Paul's essays upset me because it was so true: After four years of banging my head on the books, I would be expected to get a job in a cubicle for the rest of my life. While designing circuits and solving mathematical equations is quite orgasmic, it has its down sides too. Inspired by Joel Spolsky and Paul Graham, I decided to leave University to develop a microI…

Not everything, though, is as blissful as it sounds. There are times when I wish I had taken the beating and went along with the standard template. I haven't told my parents that I have left university to pursue the startup dream...it wouldn't be wise to tell them unless they felt the opportunity cost of pursuing a startup is greater than getting a job. So every other day, they believe I leave off to study at my Univ…

You are worse than I am:)

My parents pestered me every weekend about my GPA until past few months. Slowly they have come to terms with the idea that I don't care much about school - and that my GPA probably sucks.

Re: Paul Graham convinced me to drop out of school / quit my job [Vote up if true]

#23

Post by bootload »

pg wrote: post #14
dfranke wrote: post #2

Alex, polls are lame on Reddit. They're even lamer here since there's no down arrow. Please use Pollground or something similar.

I'm going to add explicit support for polls. As soon as I get done reading hundreds of YC applications :(

is there any way you could filter applications before reading them?

Re: Paul Graham convinced me to drop out of school / quit my job [Vote up if true]

#24

Post by Mistone »

AurSaraf wrote: post #21
ClintonKarr wrote: post #18

I can't say that I've quit my job, but Paul Graham does make some interesting points. The question that is stuck in my head is "what should I do if I have an idea for a Web service, but have no technical 'know-how?'" Is it worth approaching YCombinator?

Hello. I am Aur Saraf. Simply put, no. Start ups are about work, not ideas. Ideas flow freely with some people (like me) that just have about one idea per day worth implementation. The skill to bring a product to life is the critical part. Still, since you shouldn't drop the idea of starting a start up, you should either find someone with the technical know how (track down my email and email me for help in that) or g…

no technical know how when building a web company is going to be a problem.

But I'm building a web startup, and I'm not an engineer/developer. I do know a lot about the web and product development so my eyes don't roll back when the conversation turns to apache logs, SSL stamps, and server side scripts.

I would suggest documenting your concept in a simple word doc, starting with the primary result, then spell it out step by step.

After you have the core concept in place, talk to web developers about the project, if the idea is hot, and they have the right skills you could be on your way to success.

Re: Paul Graham convinced me to drop out of school / quit my job [Vote up if true]

#25

Post by abossy »

AurSaraf wrote: post #21
ClintonKarr wrote: post #18

I can't say that I've quit my job, but Paul Graham does make some interesting points. The question that is stuck in my head is "what should I do if I have an idea for a Web service, but have no technical 'know-how?'" Is it worth approaching YCombinator?

Hello. I am Aur Saraf. Simply put, no. Start ups are about work, not ideas. Ideas flow freely with some people (like me) that just have about one idea per day worth implementation. The skill to bring a product to life is the critical part. Still, since you shouldn't drop the idea of starting a start up, you should either find someone with the technical know how (track down my email and email me for help in that) or g…

I agree.

I remember reading a chapter of Hackers & Painters in which PG states that he was able to implement new features so quickly, that it seemed to his competitors as though he possessed some kind of secret weapon. Instead, he was simply using Lisp, a powerful and highly abstract language.

What he doesn't explicitly mention is that he is an expert at Lisp, having published two books on the language -- not to mention having a PhD from Harvard in Computer Science, where he probably became an expert using the language (although, admittedly, I have never been able to track down PGs graduate research work...).

This is what gave ViaWeb their competitive edge in the section of the e-commerce market and led to their success. As a startup, you're unlikely to succeed. You'll want all the advantages you can possibly attain.

Re: Paul Graham convinced me to drop out of school / quit my job [Vote up if true]

#26

Post by python_kiss »

far33d wrote: post #19
python_kiss wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not everything, though, is as blissful as it sounds. There are times when I wish I had taken the beating and went along with the standard template. I haven't told my parents that I have left university to pursue the startup dream...it wouldn't be wise to tell them unless they felt the opportunity cost of pursuing a startup is greater than getting a job. So every other day, they believe I leave off to study at my Univ…

No offense, but if your parents are paying a dime for your schooling, you should probably tell them you aren't going.

Of course, my parents aren't paying. In fact, the only reason I wish to be mildly rich is so that I may buy my dad a long vacation away from his job.

Re: Paul Graham convinced me to drop out of school / quit my job [Vote up if true]

#27

Post by python_kiss »

zaidf wrote: post #22
python_kiss wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not everything, though, is as blissful as it sounds. There are times when I wish I had taken the beating and went along with the standard template. I haven't told my parents that I have left university to pursue the startup dream...it wouldn't be wise to tell them unless they felt the opportunity cost of pursuing a startup is greater than getting a job. So every other day, they believe I leave off to study at my Univ…

You are worse than I am:) My parents pestered me every weekend about my GPA until past few months. Slowly they have come to terms with the idea that I don't care much about school - and that my GPA probably sucks.

lol, thanks zaid...I take it that wasn't a compliment? I learned quite a lot of lab work simply from building a solar car ( http://www.ee.ryerson.ca/~hec/pictures.html ) as a side project. So , in University, I was able to maintain an okayish GPA because I managed to do good in labs.

Re: Paul Graham convinced me to drop out of school / quit my job [Vote up if true]

#28

Post by timg »

AurSaraf wrote: post #21
ClintonKarr wrote: post #18

I can't say that I've quit my job, but Paul Graham does make some interesting points. The question that is stuck in my head is "what should I do if I have an idea for a Web service, but have no technical 'know-how?'" Is it worth approaching YCombinator?

Hello. I am Aur Saraf. Simply put, no. Start ups are about work, not ideas. Ideas flow freely with some people (like me) that just have about one idea per day worth implementation. The skill to bring a product to life is the critical part. Still, since you shouldn't drop the idea of starting a start up, you should either find someone with the technical know how (track down my email and email me for help in that) or g…

Simply put, no.

Unless he's rich and hard working. Then he is of some use.

Re: Paul Graham convinced me to drop out of school / quit my job [Vote up if true]

#29

Post by pg »

bootload wrote: post #23
pg wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm going to add explicit support for polls. As soon as I get done reading hundreds of YC applications :(

is there any way you could filter applications before reading them?

We do, in a sense: some people who apply we already know, because people we've funded recommended them. If you can impress the founders of a YC startup, that counts for a lot.

This site was designed partly as an additional filter. It works too. When I met danielha I knew his name because he was #1 on News.YC.

Re: Paul Graham convinced me to drop out of school / quit my job [Vote up if true]

#30

Post by jaggederest »

ClintonKarr wrote: post #18

I can't say that I've quit my job, but Paul Graham does make some interesting points. The question that is stuck in my head is "what should I do if I have an idea for a Web service, but have no technical 'know-how?'" Is it worth approaching YCombinator?

I have rather the opposite problem. I'm like a machine when I get a decent idea (wrt implementing it etc), but I can't seem to find one that makes other people care about it.
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