Why building a startup is probably your most sensible career path • Hacker News Board

Re: Why building a startup is probably your most sensible career path

#111

Post by drbojingle » Wed, Sep 14, 2016, 10:05 PM UTC

matrix wrote: post #54

While the author does quote the very low odds of success, I think he does readers a disservice by minimizing that risk. Very few people have the right disposition, the right partners, the right idea, and the right skill set to launch a startup. Being a freshly minted PhD doesn't change that. Failing at a startup sucks, and sucks really hard. But of course, its not in a VC's interest to tell you the pain that comes wi…

I don't disagree with you completely, but as a guy working for a start-up I would say that no matter if we find success or failure I'm going to personally walk away with good memories and a hell of an experience. There's more to it than success.

Re: Why building a startup is probably your most sensible career path

#112

Post by beachstartup » Wed, Sep 14, 2016, 10:14 PM UTC

wott wrote: post #106

beachstartup wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

because they/we are more likely to have worked at one, and see how it actually works, or doesn't work. same goes for any high stress, high risk business, like running a restaurant. if you've worked in one for years, you're more likely to succeed in running one yourself. there is a running joke in the restaurant business about rich semi-retired professionals opening up a restaurant and failing miserably, because they…

> because they/we are more likely to have worked at one, and see how it actually works, or doesn't work. They were talking about building a startup right after a PhD.

and i'm obviously not.

Re: Why building a startup is probably your most sensible career path

#113

Post by astazangasta » Wed, Sep 14, 2016, 10:22 PM UTC

I deplore the model of the world where acquiring a PhD is a choice made by an individual, and what you should do is cash in on your credentials.

When we ignore the social component of our lives, big surprise, it atrophies and dies. I have a PhD because many people (a society) invested in me to get one. My PhD is not something I should use for my own enrichment by building a "career" and a "startup" to satisfy my job requirements, there should be a substantial portion of my effort that is socially directed, that gives back the enormous amount that was given to me to get me here.

This is why I will remain stuck in academia forever, desperately seeking that shrinking universe where someone can attempt to produce pure public goods.

Re: Why building a startup is probably your most sensible career path

#114

Post by sporkologist » Wed, Sep 14, 2016, 10:33 PM UTC

Why work 40 hours a week for someone else and sleep at night, when you can work 16 hours/day 7 days a week for 10 years for yourself, and age a lot in the process?

Re: Why building a startup is probably your most sensible career path

#115

Post by xj9 » Wed, Sep 14, 2016, 10:34 PM UTC

wolfgke wrote: post #109

fsloth wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Introvert vs. extrovert has more to do how much energy being with a crowd gives or takes, or do you prefer your own company over that of others if given the chance. Any social skill, unless natural, can be acquired.

> Any social skill, unless natural, can be acquired. How?

The same way all skills are acquired: practice.

Re: Why building a startup is probably your most sensible career path

#116

Post by odbol_ » Wed, Sep 14, 2016, 10:37 PM UTC

monkmartinez wrote: post #94

biounit wrote: post #88

Interesting perspective. Certainly get a good feel for your potential before striking out on a startup. And have as much savings as possible. I did the PhD and while doing my Postdoc I started a company. I did many years as Research Professor before quitting and focusing on my company. Comparing the two situations I'd argue the business option is far better for a number of reasons. The most important being freedom. T…

Does a startup have? Proposals and Stress = Check low success rates and intense competition = Check Need for sales = Check I can't help but think you essentially have the same situation in academia as one has in a startup, only "it's different." The difference to me is the illusion of control. One may think that they are in control of the startup vs. the bureaucracy of government/academia/established business. I posi…

If anyone thinks that startups aren't _all about_ sales, they are in for a rude awakening. The truth is, your idea/technology doesn't actually have much to do with the success of a startup. It's all about how much money you can raise (sales), and as a prerequisite, how much traction/customers you have (sales).

Just look at the Yo app. They got $1 million in investment (for some reason). Their technology was nothing special, in fact it was literally written in a day. But their CEO apparently had an in with some investors, or they were _very_ good at sales/pitching.

Re: Why building a startup is probably your most sensible career path

#117

Post by wolfgke » Wed, Sep 14, 2016, 10:39 PM UTC

xj9 wrote: post #115

wolfgke wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Any social skill, unless natural, can be acquired. How?

The same way all skills are acquired: practice.

Practicing does not help for me. I am rather a lone wolf, but not because I want to be, but because I simply fail completely, so I find it a little bit unfair to downvote the above post.

Re: Why building a startup is probably your most sensible career path

#118

Post by thirstysusrando » Wed, Sep 14, 2016, 10:44 PM UTC

haha what

Re: Why building a startup is probably your most sensible career path

#119

Post by elmar » Wed, Sep 14, 2016, 10:44 PM UTC

brightball wrote: post #81

pb wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many of the most successful founders are introverts. Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, Bill Gates, none of them are very extroverted, but they've started some of the most valuable companies in the world. Of course if you are so introverted that you are unable to make eye contact or talk to people it will be a problem, but most of us are not that extreme.

I hear things like this about Zuckerberg all the time and he did one singular thing that made Facebook take off more than all of the other social networks that were out there at the time (Classmates, High School Alumni, My Space, etc). He made it exclusive. You had to have a .edu address to sign up so the people ON the network were initially only your peer group. You couldn't get in without that .edu address and ther…

it confirms the strategy to make happy a small group of users and them try to scale.

Re: Why building a startup is probably your most sensible career path

#120

Post by jomamaxx » Wed, Sep 14, 2016, 10:46 PM UTC

gohrt wrote: post #68

pb wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many of the most successful founders are introverts. Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, Bill Gates, none of them are very extroverted, but they've started some of the most valuable companies in the world. Of course if you are so introverted that you are unable to make eye contact or talk to people it will be a problem, but most of us are not that extreme.

Why do you think they are not extroverted? Bill Gates was a famously in-your-face person when dealing with employees, partners, and competitors.

'Introversion' and 'Extroversion' are basically defined as where you derive your energy from, to put it crudely.

If you like to be alone with your thoughts, and feel 'exhausted' after interacting with people - you're an introvert.

If you like to always be around others, and get 'charged' from it, and don't like being along - you're an extrovert.

Personally - I have no problem being around people, no problem giving public talks - but I prefer solitude and contemplation to being around crowds.

Introverts I think are more direct and less socially attuned than extroverts, who are very high in EI usually. Salespeople know how to handle people and would never yell and scream at anyone - ever - in any situation - they're personality won't allow it - because 'yelling' is burning massive amounts of 'social capital'. It's the opposite of being 'popular'.

As far as 'public speaking' - I think both could be equally good because it's not really a 'social' thing per sey. It's not 'interaction'. Public speaking is interacting with an 'object' - the crowd.

My bet is that introverts are more direct in their demands - possibly being aggressive. An extrovert narcissist will stab you in the back politically without ever doing anything to make them dislike you or burn political points. I find extroverts will avoid direct confrontation as though it's an instinct - again it burns social capital.

I'll also bet 90%+ of HN readers tend introverted. Extroverts would see absolutely no value in commenting/discussing with people with whom they have no relationship.

Introverts are more likely to value 'ideas' - extroverts value 'relationships'.

Depending on what you are hustling - often - people will buy something or not mostly depending on how charismatic or 'likeable' the person hustling it is. 90% of business relationships are based more on the personalities than the underlying mechanics of the deal because most businesses really are commodities of sorts.