College dropout and failed founder, what’s next?

AAnonymous ·November 25, 2014 ·9 answers

I’m a college dropout who also tasted the failure in my first startup. While doing the startup, I learned lot of stuff and still I have lot things to learn to be strong/successful founder.

I used to code at my startup and I’m the only one who built the entire thing. But I’m very far from a Rockstar dev.

I want to build something really great within next the two years. In these two years, I want to invest myself into become a competent developer.

I have few option in front of me.

1. Join as technical cofounder with an idea guy. There won’t be any pay.

2. Join as developer in a software shop. Probably one who builds MVP’s for startups.

3. Join as Intern/Junior developer in fast growing startup.

Which will be the best option for me? Is it okay to apply for a intern/Junior dev position after being a cofounder?

9 answers from the community

AAnonymous· Nov 25, 2014

Why not continue your degree?

AAnonymous· Nov 26, 2014

If you don't have an idea that makes you excited even just to wake up and work on it, this is your answer.

Go back to school. Who knows? You might get inspired.

AAnonymous· Nov 25, 2014

The most important question to ask yourself is what you want to do and who you want to be in the future. If you want to become a developer (at any level, it can be up to CTO), all your propositions are good choices. But if basically you are an entrepreneur, in the sense of a startup founder/CEO, I think you already know enough about coding and product building to begin to learn something else.

Know who you are, and know what you want to do. Then seize the best opportunities.

AAnonymous· Nov 25, 2014

I will add something to my post: you asked this: "Is it okay to apply for a intern/Junior dev position after being a cofounder?" The answer is Yes. Everything is OK after being a cofounder if you can explain your way. You were a cofounder, and you failed. Thus you are supposed to have learnt something valuable. If this experience taught you that you need to become an intern developer to grow yourself, it is perfect. If you become an intern because you don't figure out what to do after your startup, it is not ok.

Know who you are, know what you want to do, and then know how to explain it clearly. It will answer all the questions and everything you will choose will be ok. Founding a startup and failing is not like killing or raping somebody. What you did is good, but few people out of startup world know what kind of experience it is, and what kind of guy or girl you are. That's the only reason why you have to explain. Just to be understood. Not to be forgiven. Don't justify yourself, just explain who you are and what you want to do.

AAnonymous· Nov 25, 2014

I hate to be blunt---

.Can you not build something of "value" ?

AAnonymous· Nov 25, 2014

Have you looked into why your previous startup failed? Was it something you did, but you're still interested, or is it a case that you don't want to bust your butt for several years and get nothing?

If the latter, get a position where you can learn what you feel you need to - the tone I get from your post is that you don't believe that you can make it in a successful startup because your coding skills aren't rock star.

The sad fact is: coding skills aren't the major factor in a startup's success.

AAnonymous· Nov 26, 2014

Is the founder of snapchat a CS major ?

AAnonymous· Nov 26, 2014

2. Early in my tech career I worked at a software dev shop and my skills grew by multiples quickly as I worked with different tech on different projects for different companies.

Solidify your tech skills and then cofound a company.

(Seasoned software dev and founder)

College dropout and failed founder, what’s next?

9 answers from the community

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