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If my goal is to be a founder, should I work on side projects full-time or hybridize between them and work?

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Software Engineering Intern at Series B Startup2 years ago

I have 2 core goals:

  1. Learn from the best engineers and pick up as many skills from them as possible
  2. Become a founder

Given that, should I work on side projects full-time and apply to incubators or continue doing internships like my current one and doing side projects on the side?

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    Robinhood, Meta, Course Hero, PayPal
    2 years ago
    • These 2 goals kind of conflict as it will be tricky to learn from others, especially in the more mentor <-> mentee kind of way, as a founder. You will be learning on your own, on the fly.
    • I personally think hybridizing is the way to go. The side projects help build the skills necessary to start your own thing, and the internships help you get full-time employment and income.
    • Unless you're some kind of coding prodigy with some massive side projects already launched, I think it's best to get at least 2-3 years in the industry before pushing to become a founder. Being a good founder requires a lot of skills in general, with being able to collaborate/communicate well with others at around the top of that list.
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