
Headin' to California, with an aching in my heart... - Prrometheus

======
jey
The highest density of competent geeks I've found in this area was at
<http://shdh.org> . I had a lot of fun drinking beer (Old Rasputin Imperial
Russian Stout and Stone IPA 4tw) and geeking out with fellow programmers. I
met a Google millionaire who was developing his own Lisp dialect with Pythonic
features, and had a long discussion with another guy about cache performance
problems caused by smart pointers that use atomic refcounting.

May have been skewed by the fact the only one I've been to was on the evening
following Startup School, but I was told that all of the SHDH events have
about the same turnout.

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waleedka
I'd say you're on your way to bigger and better things. By making the decision
to leave a comfortable job you're already ahead of 90% of the population. Most
people seek stability not opportunity. Move there, talk to people, attend
events, network, and you'll find something that you can do well and enjoy
doing. And if it doesn't work out, so what! You'll probably remember the time
as the best adventure in your life. Go for it.

------
Prrometheus
So let's say I quit my investment banking job this summer and head to
California with $10K in my pocket and hope in my heart. What's the next step?
College, a tech job, hanging arround coffee shops looking for cofounders? I
have a rudimentary knowledge of PHP and Ruby (I built a photo gallery in the
former), an abstract mathematical background, and I love talking in front of
crowds. What would you do if you were me?

~~~
staunch
_"What would you do if you were me?"_

I'd start learning to be more self-reliant and stop seeking advice on what I
should do with my life from random people on the internet.

~~~
mattjaynes
Nope, sorry but that's just wrong and totally unhelpful.

Asking for advice from peers who are actively involved in what you want to do
is a great idea.

Since you are early in your dev career, I would highly recommend finding an
existing startup to join with more experienced developers and learning from
them - both what they do wrong and what they do right. Hopefully more of the
latter ;)

When I left my first bay area job I almost did my own startup at that point.
However, when I was honest with myself, I realized I wasn't ready to do it
alone and needed a team. So I looked around and applied at several startups. I
felt great about one particular startup where the founder was super-smart in
business, but also very mature and kind. I don't think I ever saw him get
upset or show the least unkindness during the whole startup phase. And he had
plenty to be frustrated with, believe me. Anyway, I learned a ton of good and
bad through that experience and the company was acquired by Intuit for $60
million. I was really lucky in that regard. Most startups will not have an
exit so quick or so profitable.

So that's my recommendation based on my limited experience. Good luck!

~~~
staunch
He's asking "What should I do with my life now?" and you answered him as if
the the question was "How can I be like you?".

I think he has some serious soul searching to do and that's what I was trying
to communicate. I could have said it more gently I suppose.

~~~
mattjaynes
Sorry to continue an argumentative tone, but I just really don't like to see
young hopeful guys ask for advice only to get slapped with an unwarranted
"grow up you baby" response.

If you actually read his question, it's clear that he is asking very
specifically for advice on this situation:

1) Moving to California

2) Wants cofounders

3) Has junior dev skills in PHP/Ruby

4) Has 10K in savings

Doesn't sound much like the meta-physical angst question as you suggest...

~~~
Prrometheus
Exactly. Right now my best plan is to wait until I can get into a grad school
out there to begin the startup process. Grad school would connect me with like
minded people and keep me alive until we can open the doors on our business.
However, that's at least a year and a half away, and I'd like a plan to do it
sooner. But if I just show up in CA with a "startup or bust" t-shirt, I don't
know how to get the show off the ground.

~~~
mattjaynes
_"I don't know how to get the show off the ground"_

Exactly.

The good news is that there are plenty of startups that already have the "show
off the ground". Join the most interesting startup you can find with a team
you 'click' with, then work your tail off with them. You'll learn more than
you ever dreamt ;)

------
menow
Get hired somewhere. Check out the job boards on techcrunch, siliconbeat,
linkedin. Go to every local conference. You don't have to be registered.
Twitter. Blog. It will work out. :-)

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mattculbreth
I'd look for the girl out there, with love in her eyes and flowers...

~~~
extantproject
heh

