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Tell HN: Hello

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Re: Tell HN: Hello

#111

Post by DonQuixote1000 »

secretsnackbar wrote: post #102
Lorento wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not easy to tell how smart someone is by meeting them. That tends to bias you towards social abilities. IQ tests help to level the field by testing abilities that we can't easily observe just by knowing someone. Not that IQ tests are accurate at all either. But I just mean to say that feeling that someone is smart can just mean they're smart at appearing smart and may not have the same abilities at a broad range…

Relevant anecdote: I used to do some programming for my job, and have an incredible vocabulary and am fluent in Chinese; I'm extremely "smart". But, sbout a year and a half ago, I was in a terrible motorcycle accident in which I was knocked off by an SUV and went into a coma, suffering a massive amount of neural damage to various areas all around my brain. Unfortunately, because of this brain damage, it is now incred…

Ha! That's actually how I feel all the time. Learning something new is hard. If I don't use it I start to forget it. I do have two degrees: Engineering and computer science. I always thoguht this was normal. Maybe I'm stupid and never realized it? Iwonder...

Re: Tell HN: Hello

#112

Post by dd36 »

bkeroack wrote: post #103
jmspring wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read it as, one can be smart, but the drive and perseverance to pursue your dreams and desires are really a major key to achieving one's goals.

The major key. Hard work and perseverance can make up for just about any deficit in natural ability, but it doesn't work the other way around.

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.

Re: Tell HN: Hello

#113

Post by Kluny »

peterjancelis wrote: post #11

I hope your MVP will be catering to prison guard or prison management. You probably got some unique insights there that few developers have.

Not to mention the prison industry is overdue for some serious upsets.

Re: Tell HN: Hello

#115

Post by unclebucknasty »

Mahn wrote: post #89
downandout wrote: post #79

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…

In my opinion, learning the skills to build "Uber the company" will get you nowhere without a compelling product first, whereas if you have a compelling product you can be a complete idiot when it comes to business and still have a chance to learn and make something out of it. 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 y…

IMO, this is a little bit of a false debate that's been kicked around for years. For instance, in your first paragraph, you could just as easily switch business skill and product (and many people do).

Also, business and product are intimately related. Building, say, the tech for a SaaS business doesn't mean you've built a good product. Business skill can help here. As developers who can build, I think we sometimes emphasize the tech (product) from a functional perspective vs. from a business one.

In short, it can be very difficult to create a compelling product without solid business thinking. And, even with a compelling product, it can be difficult still to gain any traction. My experience has been that both skillsets are needed equally.

Re: Tell HN: Hello

#116

Post by iamgopal »

Find a problem that you know deep enough and needs to be solved, not to be mistaken for idea or solution, and work around it to build sustainable solution.

Re: Tell HN: Hello

#118

Post by [deleted] »

dr_hercules wrote: post #81

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 ...

[deleted]

Re: Tell HN: Hello

#119

Post by freyr »

dr_hercules wrote: post #99
joesmo wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the experience is necessary. He wants to found a company not be an excellent engineer. That means as long as he can get a prototype out, it doesn't matter if it's all spaghetti code. It's startup code and it will be shitty. He can then hopefully raise money and hire people with at least a few years experience to build things out properly (hopefully). I've seen successful startups started by people who c…

he worked in a prison you funny person ... what qualifies him to found tech company? right - nothing! and spaghetti code that turns useful requires even more experience to maintain.

> what qualifies him to found tech company?

What qualifies a programmer (even a good programmer) to found a tech company? Starting any company requires so many more skills than just programming knowledge, it becomes very unlikely that a random programmer is qualified. In fact, many programmers I know are the least qualified people I can think of to found a company -- they lack the ability or desire to sell an idea, manage a team, or motivate people. If you think "I'm a good programmer, and that makes me qualified to run a company," you'll be disabused you of that notion very quickly. It may turn out that you have the qualifications, but it won't have anything to do with your coding ability.

The truth is, there are many boxes you need to check, and technical knowledge is just one of them. It's very rare that a single individual can check all those boxes. That's why VCs generally prefer companies founded by multiple people with complementary skill sets.

That's also why the OP should seriously consider finding a technical co-founder. He may be qualified to found a tech company (perhaps he can manage people, sell an idea, or use his prior experience to enter an underserved market), but it's unlikely he's qualified to found a tech company alone.

Re: Tell HN: Hello

#120

Post by driverdan »

downandout wrote: post #79

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…

Problem is that people who think they can build the next Uber are a dime a dozen and aren't even worth that. Keep in mind that Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp (Uber cofounders) are both engineers.

It's good to think about the different skill sets though and decide which to focus on.

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