81–90 of 190 posts
I mean sorry, but if you worked so far as a jail guard then you probably don't have enough experience for you ambitious dreams yet.
Honestly though ... this text seems so generical and naive that I have trouble believing its authenticity ...
Good luck dude. I am sure you will rock. Independent of the outcome, your journey is going to be glorious!!
MS Access - Learn it first! Why? The first few reasons that come to mind: 1) To quote a friend of mine, “If a 50 year old boilermaker can work it out, then anyone can.” 2) MS Access will more than likely be installed on your computer at work. 3) Almost all "startup" type programs will need databasing of some sort. 4) It has macros and modules (VBA - Visual Basic for Applications) 5) As you start to learn Visual Basic…
There is a whole network of people who with jobs using Microsoft tools. It's perfectly justifiable.
How about working as an employed programmer first - learn from colleagues - and then after three years reconsider founding a company. I mean sorry, but if you worked so far as a jail guard then you probably don't have enough experience for you ambitious dreams yet. Honestly though ... this text seems so generical and naive that I have trouble believing its authenticity ...
I've seen successful startups started by people who could barely code or taught themselves to code to build the business just like the OP is describing. Sure, the code is shitty and there's no architecture, but once you're making money, who cares? This explains the shitty code found at most startups, but if it's temporary and a way to get somewhere, I definitely see its benefits. If this was a proper system, meant to live on for years, that's different. Hopefully the OP will have enough wisdom to realize when it's time to switch between the two mindsets. Most startup CEOs don't (even if they started out like the OP because they quickly get disconnected from engineering), and that's the real problem, IMO, but by then you've already started a company and raised money.
Before you do this, consider the following question: would you rather spend your time learning to build the Uber app, or learning the skills to build Uber (the company)? Those are two truly different skill sets, and the latter is far more rare and valuable. The ability to raise money, build teams for a variety of functions, budget, and execute on an audacious vision is far outside the realm of most software engineers…
Before you do this, consider the following question: would you rather spend your time learning to build the Uber app, or learning the skills to build Uber (the company)? Those are two truly different skill sets, and the latter is far more rare and valuable. The ability to raise money, build teams for a variety of functions, budget, and execute on an audacious vision is far outside the realm of most software engineers…
Before you do this, consider the following question: would you rather spend your time learning to build the Uber app, or learning the skills to build Uber (the company)? Those are two truly different skill sets, and the latter is far more rare and valuable. The ability to raise money, build teams for a variety of functions, budget, and execute on an audacious vision is far outside the realm of most software engineers…
Great distinction that is often overlooked. Could you / anyone elaborate on the key skills required in building a company? (aside from the oft-mentioned virtues of hard work, focus, and perseverance)
1. The ability to curate a clear vision for the company and its path to success;
2. The ability to take that vision and turn it into an an actionable, real-world plan, with clearly defined roles for any staff necessary to execute it; and
3. The ability to sell the company's vision to others - investors, employees and customers/users.
Before you do this, consider the following question: would you rather spend your time learning to build the Uber app, or learning the skills to build Uber (the company)? Those are two truly different skill sets, and the latter is far more rare and valuable. The ability to raise money, build teams for a variety of functions, budget, and execute on an audacious vision is far outside the realm of most software engineers…
By all means don't focus solely on development if your goal is to build a startup, and in particular be aware you need to attract users once you launch; but don't focus on learning the intricacies of raising money or leading a team without a product either.
- Year 1: Learn to code full time. Later in the year, start applying for jobs as a developer.
- Year 2: Get a job as a full stack dev. Devote nights and weekends to improving your development skills as much as possible.
- Year 3: Get a cofounder, and work nights and weekends on your project.
- Year 4: Go full time, and work for 6 months to launch the product and get enough traction to do YC.
The problem is that if you don't spend any time actually working as a developer, you'll be limited to only doing very simple projects. And also, it's much more likely to work if you can find a cofounder and work with them part time for a while before going full time.
As someone else already said, you'll also need the skills required to create a good product and build a good company, both of which are entirely different.