I dropped out of college, where I was a poor student, to do back breaking labor and found my first startup living on the cheap in India. I have since tanked startups repeatedly. During my second startup I labored on building a 4000 sq foot house at $12 an hour while working part-time on my prototype. None of that required a parental safety net, just personal hardship.
Ironically, its been the best thing that could have happened to me. I'm an independent learner and so I was ill suited for college. In startups, I get to develop highly marketable, cutting-edge skills using technologies not taught in college or used in a corporate environment. I then apply these through consulting as the market catches up and get a big fat raise from the skills I develop at each startup.
Although some money from the startups would be nice, too :) Working on that.
I dropped out of college, where I was a poor student, to do back breaking labor and found my first startup living on the cheap in India. I have since tanked startups repeatedly. During my second startup I labored on building a 4000 sq foot house at $12 an hour while working part-time on my prototype. None of that required a parental safety net, just personal hardship.
Ironically, its been the best thing that could have happened to me. I'm an independent learner and so I was ill suited for college. In startups, I get to develop highly marketable, cutting-edge skills using technologies not taught in college or used in a corporate environment. I then apply these through consulting as the market catches up and get a big fat raise from the skills I develop at each startup.
Although some money from the startups would be nice, too :) Working on that.