Comment by fnid2 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by fnid2 | Hacker News Reader

''This is Catch-22,'' he said. ''If you are not legitimate because you start out as a one-person corporation and you haven't been in business for a year, then how do you ever start your business? It is nonsensical.''

Save up at least a year's living expenses, get rid of everything you own, travel the world for a year. You'll save money over keeping it, see the world, write some code on your laptop at hotels. Get one of those netbooks that will fit in a backpack. Charge it up at the coffee shop. You can get good wireless cheap overseas. Room and board is cheap.

Make arrangements to work with companies while you are away. Start getting paid the next tax year.

''Basically the I.R.S. is saying it would rather collect less revenue with less cheating than collect more revenue with more cheating. Does that make economic sense?''

It is interesting that what is proposed here as more profitable government policy encourages cheating, something we don't appreciate in our species.

I'm not sure wasting a year of my life is really the right solution to this problem. Or, any of the other "solutions."

My wife falls into this category. First (years ago), she just worked as a consultant via her sole proprietorship. Then, she had to start getting insurance policies. Then, she incorporated. Now, her corporation does work for another corporation that has a contract with the corporation she actually works for.

It's a bad law and it should be removed.

I met people in Dharamsala/Mcleod Ganj India that were doing this - supporting themselves with light contract work over terrible internet connections. They were pretty happy. I even heard of one contractor couple way up in Manali/Leh with satellite internets making a good living by US standards this way.

In my experience traveling with a laptop, a lot of coffee shops will cut off power to their sockets to avoid giving you free electricity.

Hotels, Hostels, solar panels. There is plenty of energy in the world for a laptop and you don't have to write code every day, only when you have enough electricity to sit in the park write or check emails. Use a notepad. Write stuff down. Draw diagrams. Think more, code less.

You have a guaranteed income when you get back just don't run out of money that's all. If you do run out of money, go back to employment and start over. Find a job while you are away.

The world outside employment is full of green pasture and sun for programmers as individuals and the future of the world alike.

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