Stick with it, don't quit | Hacker News Reader

Stick with it, don't quit

jeremy.tregunna.ca

32 pointsjtregunna12 comments

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On, has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race."

Calvin Coolidge

To me, it seems that persistence alone isn't enough either; I'm sure there are plenty of determined but ultimately unsuccessful people. Persistence needs to be coupled with something else--be it "talent" or "genius" or just plain creativity--in order to be successful.

In my experience, a smart person can do well without much work; a hard worker can do well without being particularly smart; but only a combination of the two, and other qualities besides, leads to anything truly interesting.

"It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop." -Confucius

I think another important thing to do is to choose a software development methodology for personal (or small group) projects. In my case, I like the agile software development for my personal projects, it makes the projects more enjoyable.

When there's anyone else involved, I agree with you.

But when I'm just working on it myself, for myself, and not interacting with others about it, I find it's best just to free-form it.

Agreed, free forming is great for 1 person projects.

Or teams of 2-3 when trust is high. Good teamwork can trump any methodology.

Seth Godin's "The Dip" is a great book on this topic. It has great advice for knowing when to stick with it and when to quit.

This is good advice for any skill, from programming to painting.

Sound advice, but I guess this is more for sticking with a craft and getting better at it.

Hmm, as a programmer who works for a salary, I think it is a very important skill to know when to quit the circumstances which are stopping you from being happy with your daily work.

You can be extremely spirited and self-motivated, but many things will gnaw away at your core. A micromanaging boss who thinks programming is easy (because he did it a decade ago), an office environment where you are regularly entangled in poisonous politics, or people who plain demotivate you.

When it is time to go, it is time to go. :)

I tell myself that this is exactly why its so important to be very selective in choosing what you work on. Its harder to give up if you really believe in what you are doing.

On the flip side, it's hard to let go when maybe you should.

I love the projects I'm working in SV as a startup designer but sometimes I look at how life would be if I moved back from SF to all the amenities I have back in my hometown (properties, good longtime friends, less stress).

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