

Plumbing for Joy? Be Your Own Boss - vrao423
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203917304574414853397450872.html#mod=WSJ_hps_sections_careerjournal

======
hristov
One thing the WSJ does not notice is that the business owner category
definitely self selects for success. If you are one of that majority of
businesses that fail, than you soon stop being a business owner and you won't
be measured by the survey. Also if you do not like being a business owner, or
you are not good at it, it is a very easy category to exit.

So the survey will tend to measure at least relatively successful business
owners. Nevertheless, I have noticed that business owners tend to be happier.

One thing that worried me about the survey is that it put professionals
second. I do not know much about doctors but I am a lawyer and know many of
them, and if we are anywhere near the second profession in terms of happiness
and wellbeing there must be a lot of suffering out there.

~~~
nopassrecover
Yeah happiness isn't something (in my short experience) that comes with the
early days of starting a business/being self-employed.

Perhaps once you are established and successful sure, but until then.

------
tptacek
Told you you could get rich being a plumber.

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=800487>

------
mrshoe
I would never call pg wrong (especially not on HN ;), but I side with DHH on
this one:

[http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1159-you-dont-have-to-sell-
yo...](http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1159-you-dont-have-to-sell-your-company-
to-have-financial-security-and-the-freedom-to-do-what-you-want)

I suppose they're both correct in their own ways, but that's a pretty good
description of why I'm working on a startup right now.

~~~
buugs
Whether selling a startup is a good idea or not is really different for each
and every startup. Some good ideas would probably be youtube/twitter, some bad
ideas would be more along the lines of facebook, skype(especially considering
market but you can't go wrong with pricetag so probably better they did). In
the end though it comes down to weighing price to what you value.

I'm gonna say I must belong to the don't mess up parentheses for smilies group
(seriously ;)) I prefer Aliens.

