I'm sick of everyone perpetuating the notion that developers need to either become spectacularly successful through starting companies or die trying. There are many people, perhaps even the preponderance, who are perfectly content with having a $100k mortgage and two kids while working a nine-to-five job for $75,000 per year.
People prefer this because it is safe, and affords a nice lifestyle. Starting a company offers neither, and those who pursue startups incur massive risk. The overwhelming majority fail. Entrepreneurship is incredibly dangerous and trying, and is neither optimal nor tennable for most. Encouraging people to blindly quit their jobs to go take part in what is essentially a lottery in which the odds are stacked tenfold against you is ridiculous.
Don't just up and quit your job right now. Think long and hard about what you in life. You'll probably come to the realization that you don't want to subject yourself to the tribulations of entrepreneurship.
First, it's inaccurate to state that "everyone" is "perpetuating the notion that developers need to either become spectacularly successful through starting companies or die trying."
Second, if you're truly "sick" of so many people promoting entrepreneurship, have you considered spending less time at a news website hosted by a startup incubator?
If houses cost 100-200K where I lived (NY area), a 75K income would be fine. My friend circle is getting decimated as friends are moving south :(
My wife and I have considered moving back to the Bay area (professional growth and general quality of life) but likely won't because of housing costs (I don't think buying a starter home for 600K in Sunnyvale is a responsible thing for us to do).
'notion that developers need to either become spectacularly successful through starting companies or die trying'
Agree. You missed the option of having a side-project that pulls 20k-30k a year without much additional effort after launch. You can have your stable job, too!
People prefer this because it is safe, and affords a nice lifestyle. Starting a company offers neither, and those who pursue startups incur massive risk. The overwhelming majority fail. Entrepreneurship is incredibly dangerous and trying, and is neither optimal nor tennable for most. Encouraging people to blindly quit their jobs to go take part in what is essentially a lottery in which the odds are stacked tenfold against you is ridiculous.
Don't just up and quit your job right now. Think long and hard about what you in life. You'll probably come to the realization that you don't want to subject yourself to the tribulations of entrepreneurship.