Comment by jan_Inkepa | Hacker News Reader

Comment by jan_Inkepa | Hacker News Reader

I've been self-employed for over ten years, and part of me likes being fiercely independent/etc. Part of me feels hopelessly cut off from the modern programming world, having not coded properly on a team feels a bit sad/like I'm missing out on a really fun part of work/existence. Part of me feels like it's useful self-sabotage in that it means I'm putting myself in a situation where I have to continue being fiercely independent. But yeah, I'm reading the replies here with interest, and I wish you the best :) Thanks for asking an interesting question!

I agree with the other posters that you shouldn't really term them side-projects if they were your main focus. Then they're just projects! :) Don't undersell yourself.

I've worked for myself for 20+ years, but always in a shared office or co-working space which addresses any social side of a regular work environment. But, like you, modern/collaborative programming or project work has passed me by and I suspect I'm unemployable now. I think beyond the ability, there's also the interest/willingness in working for someone and it likely doesn't marry well with the fierce independence. I don't think I could do it now.

Thankfully, I have no intention of getting employed, so it's a reasonable stalemate; I just carry on working on my various projects.

> modern/collaborative programming or project work has passed me by and I suspect I'm unemployable now.

You’re not missing out on anything. If something you’d be unpleasantly surprised how convoluted team work and new pipelines have become. Being independent is a healthy path to keep away from toxicity. But I agree about the unemployabiloty nagging feeling, it’s psychologically unpleasant to feel that but should you ever reenter the corp pool you’d hate it with all your guts.

Understand the sentiment, I took a cyclical approach over a decade or so, a couple years self-employed, a couple years on a coding team, repeat. Although the last employment period gave an equity windfall, (and not to mention crypto investments) so only doing entrepreneurial stuff moving forward.

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