

Ask HN: Where to go from here? - WhereToGo

Hi all,<p>I'm posting under a throw away account because I have friends involved that would know my original account.<p>I've been interviewing at a Los Angeles-based game developer for a web developer position. I have a few friends who work there. The interview process is wrapping up, and has been great. Things are looking very positive. I'm very positive that I will be receiving an offer from them.<p>I'm from the mid-west, working at a small company that I truly dislike. I also have friends here, which at least makes being at work enjoyable, but is despise my boss because of certain things he does. I could go on for hours about him, but mainly I just feel like he doesn't deserve the things he has managed to get - he's just a scumbag. I code at work here, too. I'm aching to quit but am scared to quit without something to move to - I only have about $10,000 saved up.<p>So, this job change would seemingly be a great opportunity. It'd put me out in CA doing web coding at a young, neat company. But, I honestly feel in my gut that it's not what I want. I just feel like what I'd be doing there would be so insignificant. I want to be creating neat, useful tools that help people on a daily basis. I want to be creating services of value to people. It is what I have always been passionate about.<p>So I am confused as to what I should do. Moving to California has always been a dream of mine, but not under these circumstances, really. I always thought that if I were moving out there, it'd be to San Francisco to live out my dream. I just think if I moved to LA, I'd stare out the window wishing it were SF I was looking at. It's not exactly about location, for me, it's more about doing what I love and feeling fulfilled by it.<p>This feeling has been ramping as I proceed through this interview. I just read this blog post (http://www.tawheedkader.com/2010/09/how-i-made-a-principled-decision-to-quit-my-six-figure-day-job/) and am in a pretty irrational state of mind right now. I feel like quitting my current job, turning down this game company offer if they make it, and using my $10,000 to try to bootstrap my own project. This would be the most insane course of action if I were to ask anyone in my family, or maybe even anyone else at all. But, I feel like life is short and if I don't try this now then I'll never have the chance again.<p>What do you all think? Should I take this new job offer if it's made, and move out to LA? Should I remain at my current job, and bootstrap something in my free time? Should I go all in, and quit my current job and bootstrap something?
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sagacity
My 0.02 :-)

Option 1: As you said, continue your current job (rationalising it as a part
of 'startup pain') while bootstraping your startup.

Option 2: Join the LA company; it would at least bring you closer to SF, and
keep looking for openings/opportunities in your areas of choice. (You could
continue to bootstrap even in this case.)

Given what you've described above, I'd say option 2 (if it comes through)
would be a better choice.

HTH and all the best.

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dotBen
Sure, LA is _in_ California but it is far away from SF and Silicon Valley that
it is a different place.

I speak from experience - I live in SF having moved from London in 2006. At
the time I had a large offer from an LA based firm, a firm I later did a
year's stint at by commuting between SF and LA.

LA is NOT SF. If you move to LA you will have a ton of fun outside of work but
you will still lack the buzz that is SF.

Take a week's vacation from your job and travel out to SF for interviews and
meet people. Hit me up (email in the profile) if you want meet up. You'll
almost certainly get offers and that should be enough to prove it is worth
moving out here for.

The bottom line is that many startups won't make offers or even interview you
unless you are here in the city and so you gotta be out here even just to plan
the next move.

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chipsy
At first I thought it would be less risky to do LA first and typed up as much.
But now I'm thinking otherwise. You absolutely can do it in one step if you
are motivated enough and can sell yourself. With $10k you can expect to live
for at least 3-4 months in a cheap fashion(carless, renting with roommates) in
the Bay Area. So start by planning for a long vacation out here - get a
weekly-rate motel, AirBnB, or go couchsurfing. Go to the local hackerspaces,
go to meetups, make some contacts. Get a good demo side project together.
Maybe complete the demo, then quit your job and move. If you like the demo as
a product, you can try pitching it. You might need funding to take it further,
but that route is as possible as a job in the current environment.

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hjw3001
Sounds like you need to look for additional options, if you don't like your
current job and this new opportunity doesn't sound like an ideal fit. If you
are doing software work and want to move to SF instead of LA, plus work on
"creating neat, useful tools that help people" there are lots of companies
hiring in the Bay Area. Just keep looking until you find the right
opportunity, or are ready to start your own thing. Moving to a city you don't
want to be in for a job you're not excited about is a bad idea.

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shiftb
Obviously the one clear course of action is to leave your current company. You
hate it there, and it isn't taking you where you want to go.

If you're talented, you won't have any trouble finding work in SF. You could
take a small amount of your savings and 'move' to SF for a couple weeks. Make
sure you like it, and work the networks to find a job.

If you're going to go on your own, definitely apply to YC.

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HardyLeung
Why not leave the current company, join the new one (or look for one if such
option is available), and moonlight your project?

