

Dear hn, today i resign & risk it all to follow my heart. wish me luck. - methochris

working for the man in this cubicle for 5 years has crushed my spirit. i learned to program and today i put in my 2 weeks. time to discover how to make a living off the internet and leave my mark on history.
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bbx
First of all, good luck on your new life. I quit my job last year to do music
(sounds crazy, and it actually is a bit) so I know your feeling.

Here's some advice though. Asking to wish you luck sounds like you're not
entirely confident about your decision. Furthermore, posting here on HN makes
it look you've already achieved something, but it's really just the beginning.

Whenever I intent to do something important, I never tell anyone in advance.
It's not about fearing to be looked at as a failure in other's eyes. It's
about not considering taking a decision as an achievement. It's like when
someone decides to work out to lose some pounds and tell everyone 'Hey, I just
bought a new running outfit, check it out!' thinking 'Wow, I've done it!' when
they actually haven't done anything yet.

I care about what I've done, not about what I've said I would do. So I keep
things to myself until I've got something concrete to show.

I'm sorry if I sound harsh, especially when I don't know anything about your
situation. I just wanted to say to stay focused, and to find motivation within
yourself first and foremost. Your decision is a great one, but it's just the
start.

~~~
bennesvig
Great advice.

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dirktheman
First of all: congrats on your decision! Now I don't want to sound asinine,
but have you thought this through well enough? I mean, from what I read you
have two weeks to discover how you're going to make money, build something,
and actually make money off of it. That might be a bit ambitious... Wouldn't
it be better to keep working at a job, and build something awesome in your
spare time? Or do you have some cash to get you through the first n months or
so? Regardless of your decision, keep us posted! Good luck!

~~~
methochris
thanks for the insight. i am not starting entirely from scratch but i have no
actual product/users to speak of. just a few ideas, a few months worth of
savings, and a good bit of boilerplate code from my training projects.

~~~
13rules
Why not start a project part-time at night while you still have a job? With
out a few months savings you could find yourself without a viable product and
with zero money pretty shortly.

Best of luck to you either way!

~~~
methochris
ya, this was my plan back in january when i convinced my employer to let me
take thursdays & fridays off to work on my own projects.

2 days a week is not much to educate myself, map out a site, design it, and
program it. i am 10 months into this task and the site is at maybe 70%.

my wife and son are demanding more of my time and attention and since this job
has turned into little more than a means to pay for the car i need to get
there, it's making sense to sell the car, finish this project, and see what
comes of it.

Thanks for the advice.

~~~
13rules
Awesome... Go for it! A wife and son are pretty good inspiration to get it in
gear! :)

Be sure to post your project here once you launch.

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elomarns
First of all, good luck.

I also work on a boring job that drain all my energy, and in some way I envy
you. I would like to have your courage. But as my current job is still
bearable, I'm working on my own product on the spare time. But I'm working as
a software developer only for 3 years, so I don't know if I could do it in
your your situation.

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abcd_f
Not to pee on your parade, but you should've really started discovering that
while still employed as a cubicle dweller. That removes heck of a lot of
uncertainty compared to jumping off the cliff, blindfolded.

Good luck though, this still beats sitting in a cubicle.

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maheshguruswamy
I have been in that position many times. But with a family and a visa to worry
about, I could never just quit. I work on my project(s) on the side. I
launched one app in my spare time (in ~10 months) and I am working on my
second app (hoping to launch within the next 5 months). These side projects
also help me keep my sanity at my day job.

Keep in mind that your family is the most important thing in this world. Do
whatever is needed to keep their future secure. So for now, I have decided to
keep my dilbert day job, until the US decides that I can work for myself
without any strings attached.

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joshcrews
Good luck!

I did the same thing in the fall of 2008, except that I taught myself to
program _after_ quitting my job. I went into freelance consulting with Ruby on
Rails and have been doing that ever since.

~~~
robertjflong
Consulting is a path I am interested in. Do you mind describing how you got to
where you are? (Email would be fine if you prefer)

~~~
smartwater
People are unlikely to just hand over their strategies, the good ones anyways.
It creates competition. That's why most of the blog posts you see contain
mostly generic information. It's pretty rare to see specific, repeatable
steps.

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malcolmmcc
I highly recommend Cal Newport's (e)book, So Good They Can't Ignore You, which
tackles the issue that passion is not always enough to succeed. I think it
would help you make your mark.

~~~
bennesvig
Just bought it. Thanks for the recommendation.

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codegeek
"cubicle for 5 years has crushed my spirit"

I envy you that 5 years was enough for you to take this step. I am still
trying to do it after almost 9 years even though technically I am a contractor
but still got the 9-5 cubicle work.

Now, good luck, work hard, don't get demoralized easily and associate with
people who are better than you in aspects that you care about.

~~~
bulltale
What's keeping you?

~~~
codegeek
Laziness to be completely honest. I have an idea, the background, the tools
and eerything else ready. Heck, I even taught myself enough Python, Flask
framework and HTML/CSS to build a CRUD site myself. Done a few exercises
already but have not put together the pieces to be able to do a "Show HN" yet.
Talk about misery.

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jemin
I wish you all the best!!! There are going to be times when you might think
that you didn't make the right choice but keep your head up and trust yourself
and always have a vision of success and success will come to you.

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bennesvig
Good luck! I'm sure it will be a huge learning/growing experience. Feel free
to send me an email if you want someone to bounce ideas off of or just free
thoughts on marketing any of your ideas.

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bulltale
Hi methochris, I wish you much success. Let's meet again at the end of 2012
and tell us how you've done. Can you give us a hint of what you'll be doing?

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bluetidepro
Best of luck! A months down the road, don't forget why you left and all the
momentum you had when you left! Never stop learning! :)

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styluss
Good luck!! Remember to tell your story in order for more people to follow
your footsteps.

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christopherslee
work smart, work very hard. you'll either find it fulfilling and rewarding, or
learn that you're might actually enjoy working for a good company (it's
possible you just weren't a good fit at your current job too.)

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factorialboy
Best of luck. Stay healthy and dedicate time away from your workstation. :-)

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HNSenectus
I'm 18 months from doing the same thing... I hope you succeed.

~~~
nanijoe
Just curious, why 18 months?

~~~
13rules
Was going to ask the same thing... saving up?

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manuscreationis
Good luck, hope to hear of whatever product you work on

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sangupta
Best of luck! I am some time away from doing the same.

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fourmii
Good luck! Please post updates if you can.

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jrush
Good luck man, I wish I could do the same.

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kahfei
Good luck to you!

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shanelja
Good luck.

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munkydung
good luck! also, these posts on HN are the equivalent of birthdays on
Facebook.

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klaut
good luck!

