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Comment by xbeta | Hacker News Reader

I think what he/she is trying to say: - if you have to choose between your kids vs your career, pick your kids - if you can have both great career + raise a great, loving family, then awesome!

I do have a dream to run my own startups, but I guess I'm "too old" for that now and I didn't see anyone in the age of 40+ founding their first startup in the valley.

I guess I'll have to give up my desire now

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No, he's saying that you have to put your career on the back seat while you get your family off the ground. And that's a good thing; your kid will be young once, and you don't want to be one of those people who looks back and wishes you spent more time with your kid when they were young.

I haven't seen anything about what you will gain in your career from being an involved parent. You will gain perspective. You will want a better future for the world, for your own kid. That perspective can help you see things that others don't see in the tech industry.

Quick story: I am a teacher, and recently I've been inviting elders into my classroom to tell their life stories to students. I sit on the side of the room, and students drive the conversation. One question students have asked every elder: "What was the best day of your life?"

Every elder so far (n=3 and counting) has looked around at everyone in the room, smiled, and said with conviction, "The day my kid was born."

Congratulations, and enjoy this time in your life. :)

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