I just started grad school in Physics a month ago, but I have recently considered quitting since I have gained an interest in the entrepreneur/startup world.
I have read a few of Paul Graham's essays, and I think starting a startup would suit me well because I am willing to take the risks involved in it and work the long hours as opposed to working in a cubicle. The main problems at the moment are that I have poor programming skills (To give you an idea of my current skill level, the most recent concept I learned in C++ was Vectors a few months ago.) and that I have no friends that are interested in programming or in a startup. So finding a co-founder would be a problem. But I have been considering joining a club on campus with other grad students that are interested in forming a startup
I am thinking I may actually like the business aspect of running the startup as opposed to the hacking side, even though I'm rather introverted and wouldn't make a great salesman. I want to make the decisions and have the vision for the startup's future. When I was in high school/college, I was obsessed with this one hobby I had, and I really enjoyed the business aspect of it also. If it weren't a rather childish hobby, I would probably want to form a startup based on that.
But in the meantime, should I start getting better at hacking? Should I try working through O'Reilly's book? To learn the necessary programming and startup details, would I be better off staying the school at the moment (to try to network with others interested in a startup) or quitting asap to get a programming job at a non-startup with the intention to leave to form a startup?
Also, if I should just work at a startup first, before starting my own startup, what job can I possibly get? My programming skills aren't good enough for what they're looking for.
PG once said it should take 6-12 months to learn to hack well. Given my previous (but near minimal) experience with C++, would it still really only take 6 months?
PG also mentioned that those who try a startup, but fail, can easily get hired by another company. Do you guys think this is true?
You don't mention where you are located. Are there any startups nearby where you could intern to gain some experience?
I can't comment on the hacking side of things as I am on the business side myself. But I do agree with PG's point that those who work on startups and fail increase their value to other startups... with each new experience you will learn more. The growth rate at most small startups is many times that of large corporations- that is the benefit of wearing many hats.