rick888

It can be done, but it's tough.

I was laid off a couple of years ago and used that as an opportunity to start a business.

You need to have the right balance of being hungry, which can be solved my having enough money in the bank for a year or so.

If you have too much money or are too comfortable, you'll never get your app finished, because there will always be other things you need to do (I've been there many times). If you are freaking out about making rent, you won't be able to concentrate either.

I had this same dilemma 5 years ago. I was right out of college and started a new job. I hated the project I was working on (it was one main project at a medium-sized company, so I didn't have much choice) and I dreaded waking up in the morning.

I lasted about 8 months. I used my lunch hour to send out my resume and find another job. It was the best decision I could have made. My new job was much better and it lasted until a year ago.

It's more than just your job. When you enjoy your work, your entire outlook on life is better. During that 8 months, I didn't work on any side projects, because I was so depressed. The plus side is I never went out or bought anything and I got myself out of debt.

"The major question is whether I look for an internal transfer (this is a big and generally quite good company) or another job. And if I do look for a transfer, do I wait or start immediately?"

It's an option, you can try it. But, your boss may not put in a good word for you, which will make things difficult.

It sounds like you aren't happy after 5 months..and your boss isn't doing you any favors.

Can you imagine being in the same position for 5 years?

I would look for another job.

The gap can be filled by customer being a little more honest about what they purchase out of state.

"Oh, that's a pretty silly comment then, it's where their store is. Given that people have to supply a card and/or delivery address when buying it's not going to be a massive pain for online retailers."

So why can't it apply the same way to online merchants? Where their business is located?

You obviously don't run an online store. It's not as easy as just charging them tax. There are so many different tax rates (that are constantly changing btw) that it's going to be very difficult for any small retailer to keep this up-to-date.

It would be much easier to just require the customer to claim it on their tax forms (which I believe is already a requirement).

To claim this is "lost revenue" is about the same as when the RIAA claims piracy is lost revenue.

They also don't have huge drug cartels running the place.

Not logical fallacies..logic (you should use it sometime). Just because I don't support your point doesn't mean i'm wrong.

Take a look here:

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/20/133086356/Mixed-Results-For-Po...

Drug use, addiction, and drug-related deaths have actually increased since they legalized drugs. This is exactly what I'm saying.

"People don't have higher associated medical costs because of marijuana, LSD, mushrooms, etc. It's a completely unfounded"

proof?

You can't honestly tell me that that nobody has higher associated medical costs as a result of MJ, LSD, and shrooms. Now who's being naive..

I actually might support MJ. However, my problem is that not only do you want it legalized, but you want to spread the false notion that it's actually ok (and actually has health benefits) to do these drugs.

"The last time I paid no income taxes, it was because I made so very little money. My understanding is that because I make so little it is understood that it is better for me to keep that money than to shuffle it around in government assistance."

I thought everyone needed to pay their fair share? Or is it only for the people working? If more people were taxed, they might not be fighting so hard to have money taken out of the pockets of other people. It's easy to support laws that give you all of the benefits.

"Now, with a 50%, that would imply that half the population lives on a small amount of money, and thus be an argument that something is not at all balanced."

no, it just means that the other 50% are paying the taxes for everyone else. I seriously doubt 50% of the population are making so little money that they can't pay federal income taxes.

"Saying 30% of people do not have health care is shocking to anyone who thinks health care fundamental for life (you take care of your car, but not your body?)"

Right, if you can afford to take care of your car, you should be using that money towards your body (IE: healthcare) instead.

There is a problem with health care in the US, but government-run care isn't the answer.

"Your other comments don't seem logical to me either (people start businesses in european countries all the time, cell phones can be cheap on a prepaid plan, it is arguable that you do need a phone to live in today's society, etc)"

You could easily get by without a cell phone. Most libraries have free Internet access.

"people start businesses in european countries all the time"

As it is, starting a business is tough. I can't imagine how the difficulty of it with the government taking out 60%+. I would also be interested to see the percentage of small businesses compared to huge businesses opening up a European branch.

"I could only use this as arguments to why I should support the protestors."

I feel like everyone supporting the protesters are making it into something it's not. You're supporting them for all of these reasons that probably have nothing to do with the actual reason people are protesting.

"So there must be some really enormous cartels engaged in alcohol bootlegging, and "legally partnering up with companies in the US" in the process. Right"

The US isn't as corrupt as mexico. You don't have illegal alcohol cartels because the US has done its job at stamping them out years ago.

The cartels also have had many more years to build up their multi-million dollar businesses.

"That people who agree on one issue would all also agree on several other unrelated issues. Very convenient indeed."

No, they are hypocritical to say that they want the government out of their lives and then also want increased in more government control. You can't have it both ways, sorry.

"Second, addiction is a public health issue, not a law and order issue. Do you know how expensive it is to imprison someone vs sending them to a rehab program? Take a look at Portugal - treating addiction like the health issue it is works and it's cheaper"

I looked, and I'm not surprised by the results:

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/20/133086356/Mixed-Results-For-Po...

"Today, more users are in rehab, but drug use is on the rise, and reporter Keith O'Brien says the policy has made the problem worse."

"personal drug use over the course of their lifetime has gone up about 40 to 50 percent in the last decade."

Drug use is actually up...because there is no legal risk.

More from the article:

"They would meet with the person who had been picked up in possession of whatever drug it was and discuss the issue. These CDTs would then hand down various, sort of, not punishments, but treatments. Some people would, you know, be asked to enter counseling. Some people would be banned from, say, going to raves, if that's where they were doing their drugs; or banned from attending certain concerts or bars, if that's where they were doing drugs. And, you know, this is very controversial, even in Portugal, as you can imagine."

Do you really want the government telling you you can't go to a concert or rave?

I would really like to see the long-term numbers for Portugal. I predict they will be bankrupt within 15 years.

"I won't argue the premise but surely you would agree that a backed up court system beats DEA agents getting their heads blown off on a regular basis"

They still get their heads blown off for things like Vicodin (a legal form of heroin), so how will legalizing all drugs be any different?

"Take a look at Portugal - treating addiction like the health issue it is works and it's cheaper."

"I really don't see this as the most likely scenario. Why would it follow that legalization of a drug would lead to more addicts? Cigarettes are legal and addictive and I don't smoke them"

Many people do because they are easily available in pretty much any 7-11 and gas station.

"Legal doesn't imply uncontrolled and unfettered access by all"

Then there will still be a black market and it still won't solve the issue at hand.

" the people who want to experiment with them already do so regardless of legality, health effects or cost"

Many people don't experiment because they don't know where to get them. Legalizing them also implies that they are okay (if it's legal..it has to be okay..right?)

"Sin/vice taxes already fund dozens of other things besides adult health care costs, if anything I would expect them to be exploited as a revenue generating machine that politicians could gouge for cash since it's so easy to demonize"

I would just rather not have the increase strain on our already over-taxes medical system.

Everyone that's pro-drug wants the government out of their lives, yet they are fine with increased taxes and regulations to support more and more social programs. Government taxation and regulation = control.

"Does Anheuser-Busch engage in lethal turf warfare in the manner of Al Capone? Yes, I agree that the cartels would move into legal territory but quite frankly, as someone who spends a lot of time in Mexico, the country would be happy to see the terror gone, jobs created and the tax benefits reaped."

It won't happen. Mexico's entire system is completely corrupt. Legalizing drugs won't fix the problem.

"Two of the biggest pot heads I know are starting a company and already have a dozen clients, and the others have 6 figure salaries waiting for them on the West coast."

Again, why are people defending pot here like a second girlfriend?

I see the drug overlords have again down-modded me for not being a troll and merely stating my opinion on the matter.

"Your welcome to believe that it is bad for you and that you don't want to do it, but I disagree that that should translate to you saying other people can't do something."

I'm fine with it as long as users of these drugs have to pay higher medical fees (if we ever have government-run health care).

The MJ bill in CA that didn't pass also would have made it difficult for an employer to fire an employee that uses regularly. This isn't okay with me.

"I've seen people nearly talk about marijuana as if it is the destroyer of worlds, which I don't think any reputable scientist has possibly ever endorsed"

Are you denying the negative effects drugs have on many people? Pot may not have many effects on physical health, but it certainly does on mental health.

Many people I know that smoke pot have almost no ambition. Pot becomes almost like a second girlfriend. Everything in life revolves around getting money to smoke more pot. I've seen this happen with way too many people to think that it's a unique case.

But, it actually helps me, because it just means less competition in the workforce.

"yet people are scared and hide in their bunkers because they're never tried, done any research on their own, and just take the "AboveTheInfluence" ads at face value"

How about the people that know how bad it is and just don't agree with the sentiment that it's good for you?

"Illegal drug money is used to finance so much corruption and killing, that there seems to be little value in keeping them illegal, especially considering that everyone who wants to take drugs still does. If certain drugs do have harmful effects then at least the effects will be mostly limited to the people who take them."

Mexico is already corrupt without the drugs. Making them legal will give the cartels even more power because they will now be able to legally sell drugs in the US.

They already have (and know how to run) multi-million dollar operations, you don't think they won't think about legally partnering up with companies in the US?

"If certain drugs do have harmful effects then at least the effects will be mostly limited to the people who take them."

Many people want government-run health care in the US. Legalizing illegal drugs will add to the already large amount of addicts. Do we really want more addicts in our hospitals? I also don't feel like I should be forced to pay for your poor life choices. Regular Drug users should immediately get a huge increase in healthcare costs.

We still have tons of people suing the cigarette companies because they cause cancer. I can only imagine how many lawsuits will be in our court systems if there is a company selling heroin.

"These are people who are homeless or on the verge of losing their homes. These are people living paycheck to paycheck, despite having what we think of as stable or decent paying jobs. These are people struggling to put food on their tables. These are people with illnesses that have destroyed their lives. I don’t understand how anyone can look at a group of people who are desperate, whose lives are falling apart, and say that those people are selfish and whiny when they demand a change."

All of these things were around before wall street and they will be around after wall street. I'm not sure how protesting is going to give these people any more money, unless it means taking it from the people that are working.

"This is a SYSTEMATIC FAILURE for those people who are struggling to make ends meet and to help this country grow and flourish"

Minimum wage already exists and you can get by on it (although it's not easy, I've done it myself).

"The government has given tax breaks to the highest 1% and has given nothing to the rest of us"

50% of the population doesn't pay federal income taxes. How is this not a tax break?

"And everyone in this country has realized that health care is not functioning the way it should, which means that many of these people who have done everything they were “supposed” to are struggling because their health got in the way of their jobs or sapped their money."

This happens, but not to as many people as you would like us to believe. The last stats I saw showed > 70% had some form of health care.

"I don’t know if I would go so far as to say we’re the 1% seeing as there are MANY countries that take care of the majority of their citizens better than America does (see: all countries that do not have a paranoid terror of anything remotely socialist, e.g. Norway, Sweden, etc.)"

You do realize that it's almost impossible to start a business in those countries due to regulations and taxes, Right? You also pay 60-70% in taxes (income+VAT+other).

There is a reason people don't like socialism: It gives the government control over you. Instead of being able to choose where your money goes, it's taken right off the top and spent by the government in any way they see fit. It's a monopoly that you are forced to pay.

The government is an important thing to have, but it needs to have limits.

"Simply because a person has a cell phone does not mean they’re wealthy. It means they chose to spend their money on one of the most useful inventions of the last century."

A cell phone costs how much? Usually $60-$70 per-month (sometimes more) depending on the plan. You don't need a cell phone. You can get a high-deductible individual health-care plan for that much. If you don't have insurance through your employer, it won't break your bank account if you get into an accident.

This article hasn't changed my mind about the protests.

I feel bad, but the only way to save these people is to wipe the oppressive government out.

If you can go web app, do it. Over time, piracy is only going to get worse..and you can't pirate a web service.

In addition to this, updates are much easier.

This is what happens when you are just an employee. This is also why I don't work for startups. You work long hours, many times are under-paid, and after putting your life unto a project, get little to no money if it gets bought out or they go big (you also might just get fired instead).

This is why you need to start your own company.

"But I can definitely say that the mythos of the well-earning "self-made" IT man was a major blemish on the idea, not an asset."

Yes.

"The American Dream is that everyone should be able to get a full-time job and that if you're willing to work a full-time job, you'll be able to pay your bills."

If this is what people think, they have been misled. The american dream has always been that you have the ability to pursuit your dreams, not guaranteed a job. This means, you can start a business as someone who is poor and one day make enough to support your family and more. Right now, we still have this freedom.

With huge taxes and more government regulations and control, the dream will be dead. Then, the only entities left (because they can afford the taxes and regultions) will be big corporations.

"It sounds like your recommendation would be for everyone to chase money regardless of their passions."

If you don't think about the money at some point, then don't complain when you can't find a job. It's not your job to chase money and it's not society's job to pay you for something that's worthless.

"You have to admit that people who are passionate about things that pay well get a better deal in that situation."

You can make money with almost any passion, you just need to be smart enough to find the market. Most people want to be handed it...which just isn't going to happen.

"Also, regarding success: hard work and intelligence matter a lot, but so does opportunity. Have a look at Gladwell's Outliers for an interesting analysis of this."

I don't need to. I see opportunities every day that people in my exact same position at the exact time (at work for instance) miss. Why? Because I have the skills and experience and I know what I'm looking for. Without the skills, knowledge, and experience, the opportunity is worthless.

The more knowledge and skills you have, the more opportunities you will see and the better chance you have at becoming successful.

It's really sad to see so many people equating success with pure luck.

"But I can definitely say that the mythos of the well-earning "self-made" IT man was a major blemish on the idea, not an asset."

That's right, there's no self-made anything. It's all luck.

"You may not call it luck, and I don't know your specific situation, but I'm going to hypothesize that you had some help along the way. How did you educate yourself? "

We could go very far with attributing luck to success. Einstein must have been very lucky to come up with the theory of relativity.

In fact, everything we do must be due to luck because it's lucky our planet is in a position from the sun that's habitable.

"How did you educate yourself"

By going to the library in the beginning (which is free) and then later through the Internet (which is also now free at almost any library in the US). Most people in Highschool and in college are out partying every weekend with their friends..and then they wonder why they aren't successful when it comes to getting a job. I chose to sacrifice my time to learn things that I knew would help advance my career.

"How did you pay for it?" With a crappy retail job that didn't really have much to do with my career.

"Did you go to a public school system". Yes.

"My point is, we often take this sort of assistance for granted, and it is gratifying to credit ourselves with 100% of our success. Maybe you are 100% responsible for your own success. If that's the case, you're the first such person that I've ever met."

I'm still not sure what your point is. It seems to only be brought up when anyone successful achieves anything great or when someone wants an excuse as to why they can't succeed.

I also said luck has less than 1% to do with it. I know people that were in my exact same position at the exact same time. They chose to do things differently and now are working paycheck-to-paycheck. I saved my money (instead of buying the new $500 android phone when it came out) and now I don't have to worry about emergencies because I have enough money to pay for it.

I'm really just tired of people not taking personal responsibility for their actions.

"But I do not pretend that my good fortune some how means I work or harder or am smarter than other people in our society"

What a defeatist attitude. I do work harder and smarter than other people in our society. My work and success reflects this.

"and it makes them sickeningly self congratulatory."

It's sickening that you would equate having a good job with mostly luck. Winning the lottery is pure luck.

I chose to get involved in the tech industry. If I would have been in any other time, I would have chosen a different industry and most likely been successful. Less than 1% of it has to do with luck. If I would have just sat here and done nothing, my career wouldn't have fallen into my lap and my skill set wouldn't have suddenly appeared.

Anybody can be successful.

"We are getting kicked out of our homes."

..and why is that? I want to see how many of these people protesting actually got kicked out of their homes and why.

"We are forced to choose between groceries and rent."

Do you have a cell phone? Do you have cable? Where do you live?

"We are denied quality medical care."

Interesting how this is somehow wall street's problems. Can I blame them for tax increases too?

"We are suffering from environmental pollution."

lol?

"We are working long hours for little pay and no rights, if we are working at all. We are getting nothing while the other 1 percent is getting everything."

If you can't find a job..you need to ask yourself why. I lost my job a little over a year ago and then started my own company. Since then, I've had tons of recruiters and other companies emailing me because they want me to work for them. There are still plenty of jobs out there. You just need to bust your ass to get them. Most people aren't willing to put in the work.

I saw the start of this entitlement mentality with music and software piracy. Many people from this generation feel it's their "right" to be able to download these things for free. Now they are entitled to a home, a college education, and a job.

They want equality, but the problem isn't we aren't all equal. I work 12 hours a day. As a result, I have more money in the bank than someone that works part-time. Why should I be limited or penalized for this?

"So far, it's pick-your-own cause, with grievances ranging from bank bail-outs to animal testing, and yet what most of the mainstream media seems to have missed is the fact that the occupation itself is its own demand"

This is why I find the entire "occupation" to be a joke. Every left-wing asshole with a grievance against big business is out there protesting.

He is the ultimate "ideas guy". I believe his net worth is somewhere near $800 million. His value after Napster was his connections to venture capital companies.

Even in high school, he got in trouble for "hacking", which was nothing more than being a script kiddie (he used pre-built exploits to attack military and other computers).