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So I've been a professional software developer in variously named roles over the years since I was 18, now 35. I've had many ideas for my own projects over the years some great, some not so great, and as with most ideas, if you don't act on them, someone else will suddenly come up with it, which is frustrating as hell obviously. Anyway, I never find enough time to do these things in what little free time I have, so the idea of stopping working for someone else and work on my own stuff seems almost unobtainable. I've worked with companies (startups) that have had ideas that have never made anything significant but still keep going on investor money for some reason or another. I realise my question is quite vague, but how the fuck do you break away and do your own stuff? Time is running out (at least in my mind), anyone here actually done it, succeeded, failed?? Can't be writing other people's badly designed software my whole life, would be nice to design my own and see it through.

Comments
  • 2
    Couldn't have expressed it better myself.

    Already thinking the same for about a year, but not enough cojones to just do it (familiy to feed, and so on, you know...)
  • 1
    @ddephor I kind of feel that If crowd funding hadn't been so abused by people on blatant scams that it would be an option, I mean it's not as if developers what to make things that noone likes.
  • 1
    Happened more than once I've come up with an idea, never managed to complete it, and then someone else does it.
  • 1
    I used to think there wasn't time to work on my own stuff also. Finally I spent a week and wrote down how I spent every hour of the day. It turned out the time was there, I just couldn't see it until writing everything down.
  • 0
    @codemonkey1870 did you then reallocate that time to do your own stuff?
  • 1
    @fullyerectcolon After I was able to see where my time was going I was able to come up with a schedule that worked for me and my family. Most days I am able to stick with it, but there are days when things just come up.

    The biggest hurdle for me was mental. I had to train myself to be ok with my day job ending when I left the office and not working for "the man" after hours anymore.
  • 0
    @codemonkey1870 i assume your partner understands when you're working on your own stuff then and to not disturb?
  • 3
    @fullyerectcolon She does understand that. Of course it goes both ways. My family respects my time when I am working, and when I am with my family I am with them. I am not checking emails or trying to figure out a blocking issue in my head.

    This was not an overnight success. It took some time for everyone to adjust, but we are about 90 days out from launch and hopefully it will be all worth it.
  • 0
    @codemonkey1870 awesome! Good to hear. And best of luck that it all works out for you :)
  • 0
    @codemonkey1870 Good luck then. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
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