Most people have this fairy tale idea of the entrepreneur as some kind of invincible hero who always succeeds at whatever he touches - a sort of Midas. But that's not true - he succeeds because he puts in literarily almost non-stop working hours for many many years, and battles through whatever comes his way, whether that is mental illness, fear, lack of finances, etc. - whatever comes his way, he will bear it, and like a bull not get his eyes off the ball, not give up. — Agustino
Working for a company run by others doing what you are good at is a better option for those of us who are not as dynamic as you perhaps are. — T Clark
No, that's just a way to stay in your comfort zone. You never grow that way, so if your life is about feeling safe, sure, do that, but otherwise I wouldn't recommend it because you'll regret it later. — Agustino
I have not personally known an entrepreneur who had it easy, especially not in the beginning. Even doctors who had worked for 20+ years, when they first started on their own they had quite a rough patch. Though some entrepreneurs have it easier than others, obviously. I would put IT entrepreneurs like us in that category actually - basically no transportation logistics, no inventory management, heavily automated (because online), don't depend on work geographically, etc. It's quite a simple business really.This is also a fairy tale, one we often hear from entrepreneurs. The successful ones, of course. The ones who give TED talks extolling the virtues of failure and reminiscing about the days when they lived on gruel, and so on and on. — jamalrob
Oh, interesting - I actually am a civil engineer by degree. There is a reason why I'm not working as a civil engineer and it's precisely this - it's difficult to start a business as a civil engineer.If you're, say, a civil engineer, then working for an established company is the best way to develop your craft, because it provides the resources, variety of projects, and administrative support to allow you to focus on your specialist tasks. — jamalrob
That's not what I meant. Sure, in the beginning, as an engineer, you need to work for an established company to develop your craft. 5, 10, 20 years. But if you keep working after that in the same conditions, then almost certainly you've stopped growing. Either you must change position, or you must start on your own, a consulting company, a general contractor, etc.How useful is it for an engineer to have to worry about business when what they really want to do is build great dams? — jamalrob
I actually am a civil engineer by degree — Agustino
But if you keep working after that in the same conditions, then almost certainly you've stopped growing. Either you must change position, or you must start on your own, a consulting company, a general contractor, etc. — Agustino
Please, I'm an amateur, not a hobbyist. — jamalrob
T Clark and Agustino are the only philosophical civil engineers I know, so I'm guessing it's just a delightful coincidence. — jamalrob
Seems like a dialect issue; amateur has a negative con' over here in Ammuurica. — Noble Dust
Oh right, how many other aspiring career musicians do you find around here, other than old Terrapin Station, who seems to have disappeared? — Noble Dust
More interesting than that, what's the correlation between civil engineering and web development :rofl:What's the correlation between civil engineer and hobbyist philosopher? :chin: :chin: — Noble Dust
Yes, also in the UK, but I like to emphasize the word's etymology, according to which it means someone who does something for the love of it, not the money. — jamalrob
Wayfarer is a musician I believe, and I noodle on a cute little curved soprano sax from time to time. — jamalrob
I do remember Wayfarer as a keyboardist of some sort; I know a few others who tinkle the keys, but I can only remember TS as someone who is/was apparently a semi/full professional musician, other than myself. — Noble Dust
Yeah, a web developer is a civil engineer who has gone to sleep :naughty:Oh, is it? — Noble Dust
What's the correlation between civil engineer and hobbyist philosopher? — Noble Dust
Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.