Ask HN: I'm 30 years old and I never had a job. Feeling stuck and confused | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: I'm 30 years old and I never had a job. Feeling stuck and confused

11 pointsmukilanv9 comments

Hey, I am 30 years old, don't have a degree and never had a real job.

I started a conventional business along with my friends and did it for 3 years when I was 22. After 25 I never really had any job.

I'm working on a backpack and carry gear startup in India, which feels like David vs Goliath. Every competitor in this space is too big. VC or Funding is out of question as no one heeds or supports physical product startup. I don't have money to bootstrap and crowdfunding isn't big in India (used as new charity funding platform).

Only good thing is the backpack manufacturer is very supportive, open minded and keen to produce interesting product (which very rarely happens with Indian manufacturers)

I'm stuck and I feel confused with not much moves left on my board.

Any life advice? Should I quit and do a job? Should I take loans and push harder?

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Get a job.

Ideally a performance-based one, where the skills required are transferable to your startup (which is now your side-gig, as it should be, until it earns more than your day job).

Kindly give this a read for a better perspective: https://wallstreetplayboys.com/watch-the-company-man-give-aw...

One viable option is to work for a big competitor as a design consultant or product tester (for lack of a better term).

Basically be employed to intensively test out a product (backpacks and carry gear in this case) and provide feedback on the features. Since you have worked as an entrepreneur before you can be autonomous out in the field and not have the typical constraints of a normal job. That is a relationship thst is particularly well suited for backpacking since you can better test out the gear if you are remote.

You would probably need to reach out to companies and pitch this as an opportunity for them to leverage your background, skills, and personal drive in order to deliver a world class product.

My two cents...

You mention you don’t have a degree and have never had a “real” job, and by giving us your age and asking for life advice, it seems you feel the clock is ticking. I get the sense you’re looking for more than just business advice.

What is important to you? What is your passion? Do you define yourself by your work, or could work just be a thing you do for money to live? Do you want to learn more about something, or experience something? If so, what?

If you aren't taking any action to turn your life now, chances are you will live the same routine for the rest of your time.

I think getting a job would be great to get back on track. Don't have a degree? That's not a problem if you really want to learn. There are free resources/courses that you can try to gain more knowledge and skills.

I wish you luck!

Just curious, what have you done until now? Oftentimes unique experiences can help fuel future growth. For example, if you were a big digital nomad, you could write about and sell services around the lifestyle, like a paid newsletter, since many people are interested in things like that.

If you find a job you will be unhappy until you restart a business.

If you take a loan and push on in a field where you go head to head with too many whales and you will lose everything and maybe never recover.

You could pivot.

You could go from startup to lifestyle business.

Otherwise it sounds like you need a new/different business strategy. Is the opportunity really there with a walkable path?

Just a guess: Would it make sense to focus on supporting the exact needs of one relatively small activity community, like climbers? (Where money-is-no-object? No idea if that's already crowded ... but their specific needs may not be fully met by big guys.) Cross-country walkers (native or tourist)?

Focus on what do you want to achieve and what you are looking forward.

Why don’t you try Kickstarter? Seems like the perfect product for crowd funding.

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