What I’ve Been Doing Since Quitting My Job • Hacker News Board

Re: What I’ve Been Doing Since Quitting My Job

#11

Post by rashomon » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:26 PM UTC

carlmcqueen wrote: post #7

Knew I recognized this guy from the greenPi post he made. I'm a sucker for posts about raspberry pi task automation. If anything he is extremely good at getting some buzz around things he is working on and deriving value from having worked at Google.

I followed him down the Sia rabbit hole and found he was the only person this side of the hemisphere to get a Sia node running off a Synology NAS (and who could explain it in Layman's terms).

One of the smarter ones out there.

Re: What I’ve Been Doing Since Quitting My Job

#12

Post by mitko » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:27 PM UTC

Kudos to Michael for keeping busy with projects.

I quit my job 6 months ago. Gave myself 6 months to see if I would descend into complacent procrastination, and if so - I'd find another job. Having no job, but enough saving to rely on, has been a blessing. I've learned so many things from creative writing to deep learning, wrote a lot of personal essays, biked for 500miles, and did some side projects. Having one unsuccessful attempt at a startup convinced me that this is a much preferable route to getting back to salaried employment. The learning is a lot more, and there is a higher potential for payoff.

Re: What I’ve Been Doing Since Quitting My Job

#13

Post by icedchai » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:32 PM UTC

toovs wrote: post #10

icedchai wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm guessing you don't have any savings or investments? You might want to plan ahead more than your next pay check. Investigate financial independence / retire early (FIRE.)

lol easy to say for those with cash

It's real tough getting cash in this industry, isn't it? Start investing now. In 10 years you'll have a small fortune.

Re: What I’ve Been Doing Since Quitting My Job

#14

Post by quickthrower2 » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:34 PM UTC

This guy seems to have a lot of freedom to experiment. I am considering doing the same, but knuckle down on a single idea, born from identifying a real problem people are willing to pay for (enough to make a living).

Re: What I’ve Been Doing Since Quitting My Job

#15

Post by eanzenberg » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:37 PM UTC

m1n1 wrote: post #4

how does he pay the bills? and how about health insurance?

money

Re: What I’ve Been Doing Since Quitting My Job

#16

Post by imbusy111 » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:37 PM UTC

mywittyname wrote: post #8

p1esk wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He worked at Google for four years.

Yeah, I bet he has at least $1MM in liquid assets banked on top of what income he earns through his projects.

I assume you are being sarcastic. How do you put off $1M in assets with a $200k median salary in four years? $200k x 4 x 65% is just $520k without even any expenses paid such as the ~$72k you would have paid for a room in a shared apartment.

Re: What I’ve Been Doing Since Quitting My Job

#17

Post by RikNieu » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:41 PM UTC

icedchai wrote: post #13

toovs wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

lol easy to say for those with cash

It's real tough getting cash in this industry, isn't it? Start investing now. In 10 years you'll have a small fortune.

Not everyone earns Valley salaries. Especially not those outside the US in third-world countries.

And some, like myself had their life savings wiped out when life got cute.

Anyway, glad OP has the opportunity to do what he's doing. Didn't mean to sidetrack the conversation. Just always find it amazing how we all live in vastly different worlds.

Re: What I’ve Been Doing Since Quitting My Job

#18

Post by dopeboy » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:42 PM UTC

I did this five years ago. The point that most resonated with me is control over one's time which leads to true agency.

Re: What I’ve Been Doing Since Quitting My Job

#19

Post by pkaye » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:43 PM UTC

icedchai wrote: post #9

RikNieu wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right? My blog post on the same subject would be more on the lines of "freak out about how to have a roof over my head next month and not have my family's health insurance cancelled..."

I'm guessing you don't have any savings or investments? You might want to plan ahead more than your next pay check. Investigate financial independence / retire early (FIRE.)

Yes I guess that works as long as a sudden bout of cancer or some other chronic illness doesn't turn your world around. Suddenly all the "plan to retire in X years" come into question. Will I be still living in X years? Will I be able to continue working and investing till then? Or will I have burn through all my savings? True financial independence doesn't come till you can weather such a storm and most people are not is such a position.

Re: What I’ve Been Doing Since Quitting My Job

#20

Post by mjhoy » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:51 PM UTC

mitko wrote: post #12

Kudos to Michael for keeping busy with projects. I quit my job 6 months ago. Gave myself 6 months to see if I would descend into complacent procrastination, and if so - I'd find another job. Having no job, but enough saving to rely on, has been a blessing. I've learned so many things from creative writing to deep learning, wrote a lot of personal essays, biked for 500miles, and did some side projects. Having one unsu…

Where did you bike?