Can I make it in SF? | Hacker News Reader

Can I make it in SF?

3 pointstanbo9 comments

A little background: I currently live in Dallas, I am 30 with no wife/GF/kids, and basically no life. I have about 770k invested in equity from my previous job, and an additional ~300k in retirement accounts. I only have about 20k left in bank account, so soon I will need to start selling off stocks and living off that money until I figure out a way to make money. I am a degree'd engineer, but not CS. I need to take my life in a new direction. Even if that entails opening up a small business that is barely profitable, but pays the bills.

I'm not really sure what I'm going to end up doing for a living, but I have a drive to something entrepreneurial. My old job was just working as an engineer in the energy industry and I didn't enjoy it at all. I am currently learning code via one month rails and some other sources, but I'm probably a long way from making money with it.

Do you guys think I could figure out a way to make it in SF? I feel like I'm very ambitious and driven, and I really just need to change my life and get out of Dallas. I feel trapped here, and the days are getting harder and harder to deal with. Even crazy suggestions are appreciated, I'm just trying to brainstorm here, everything is on the table. If you would just put yourself in my shoes, ask yourself what you would do with my current situation. You could possibly change my life, I actually really do need help right now. I am going to a 10 day Vispassana meditation course starting Wednesday, I'm hoping this clears up some of the answers for me as well.

You don't want to move to SF:

1. Expense. You are in a low tax, low cost, business friendly jurisdiction. Thousands of entrepreneurs are leaving California to start companies in Texas. In many respects , your situation seems ideal for entrepreneurship. A passive investment income with low taxes and living expenses is exactly what you need when starting a business.

2. Distraction. I lived 12 of the last 15 years in SF. Suffice it to say, it's not the city it used to be. There are thousands of so-called entrepreneurs in the city these days, most of them male and under the age of 25. There are tons of networking events where you can douche it up with other entrepreneurs, listen to VCs share their "wisdom", and generally waste your time.

If I were you, I would be looking a lot closer to home. Why not get a cheap student rental in Austin? There is a strong startup scene with plenty of time wasting networking, plus a very hip young town with a lot of attractions. Hell, you could buy a small place in town , and churn on startup projects indefinitely without scratching your savings.

Lots of girls in Austin, btw.

i feel like I'm gonna just kill myself in a couple years.

Sounds like you need a GF more than anything else. Here's a tip, take some college course (again!), meet them :)

Firstly, do not underestimate the value of friends/family. If you move to the bay without a job/support network you may very well find yourself in a dark demotivating hole that costs more than most of the world to maintain. This is not a good scenario.

That said, make something. Find a way to lessen your cost of living so you have time, and create something cool/useful. Use the tools you want to make your living with. You'll learn both the tools and a lot about yourself during this process. Once you've done this you'll have a decent example of your skills that could land you the gig you need to come to the bay on good terms.

I hope this helps and best of luck!

I really have no friends or family that I can rely on here, my family is toxic. So going anywhere else isn't going to make a difference. I mean, I am approaching a point where I'm just going to go off the deep end, so really anything looks good right now.

Great advise from dylanrw. SF is an expensive place. Why not take a 6 months or a year to learn how to code somewhere cheap. Thailand is amazing. You can live in tropical paradise for a couple of grand a month, build an app, get some customers, then move to SF to take your business to the next level.

I've already done so much traveling, I don't know if that would help me. I mean, I basically live pretty cheap right now where I am. Depending on how well my investments do, I'm probably making 40k per year. I guess I could, I'm just worried I would go further down the spiral. I'm pretty worried about my life right now.

It's not just the traveling - it's the cheap living expenses while you build something.

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