I hear what you are saying. It is starting to happen in the UK as well.

What frustrates me is not advice, but actual facts.

e.g. If my employer wants to change my job title and description, what are the standard rules/laws regarding this sort of change?

Well, it's like when people ask medical questions online or write into newspapers - most of the time the correct answer is 'go and see your doctor'.

Having said that, have you looked at the direct.gov.uk site? It seems about as straightforward as goverment information gets:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/EmploymentC...

Yes - I did. What was your Google query? - assuming you used Google.

The reason I ask, and the reason behind the post, was that it is actually quite difficult for people to ask real questions of a search engine and get decent results. I know, I tried. Yes I hit the Uk Gov site - but to say it is vague is being kind.

....."Well, it's like when people ask medical questions online or write into newspapers - most of the time the correct answer is 'go and see your doctor'."

In the UK going to see the doctor is free....Not so for legal advice.

My point was that it a doctor would probably consider it inappropriate to give specific medical advice on the web without examining the patient. The same probably goes for most legal and financial advice.

I can't remember the exact Google query, probably something like 'employment law job description'.

The 'Where to get help' section of that page gives details of where to get free advice, e.g. Citizens Advice Bureau, trade union. I know lawyers are expensive but depending on the circumstances many people might be better off paying for proper legal advice.

I also think the problem with setting up a site to give legal advice, aside from the liability issue, would be that you'd need to be a good lawyer to do this - and good lawyers make enough money already!

And what did you do?

I exchanged the situation for one that involved telling fewer lies and doing less of what I hate.

Does that mean you still tell lies and sometimes do things you hate? :)

Thank-you.

Forget the silly ageist remark above - I know what you were trying to say - and you did it well.

Thank-you and good luck.

My father also started a business (furniture manufacturer!), way back in 1977, when I was only 9.

What I have noticed is that the phrase over here (in England - maybe applies in the US), 'You only get out what you put in'.

The US version might be "you reap what you sow," which I like because crops produce more than what they were planted with.

Pick a venture that lets you get out more than you put in, eh?

Of course you reap more biomass than you sow. It's what sets farmers apart from squirrels (sort of).

"Reap what you sow" means you get output proportional to input. You'll get more biomass, but you won't get more plants than the amount of seeds you planted.

Perhaps a new saying should be posed, "You get what you and your environment put in."

I am not.

Just trying to get people thinking.

Thanks anyway.

A fair point!

Actually what I was attempting here was to try and question the thinking behind when we can and can't do things that we wish to do.

I don't need anyone to convince me, I was trying to challenge the general perceptions of when you can start a start-up.

I never think a question is a 'stupid question', and I also don't think asking a question is a failure.

"... I was trying to challenge the general perceptions of when you can start a start-up."

I prefer to think in terms of "personal industry" rather than "startup." Personal industry used to be the normal case, with people building their own house, planting their own fields, and so on. I think it's rather odd and sad that so many of us get caught up in corporate life. I have more feelings about this, but am having trouble articulating them

Anyway, to answer the when?: Until I'm so old and decrepit that my children are taking care of me.

I appreciate the response.

Can I ask what you are doing about it?

Right now I'm actually focusing on getting a new job (laid off just recently). I have a potential partner (same age/situation) who is not a hacker but would be a good compliment to my skillset.

I have a vision for a product that would hopefully rock the project management landscape. If only I had 6 months locked with a fellow coder... I'll have to settle for a couple hours a day trying to make a convincing demo to sell the dream.

If you are alive, then you have the ability to sit down and pursue this. Failure versus success is a completely different argument.

EDIT: What I am trying to get is across is this--the only thing that would be stopping you is you. Who cares if you are beyond are a certain age?

Are you suggesting that the 'fear of failure' is a major reason why people don't make the leap?

I have to say, I think you are correct.

Fear of failure is HUGE.

Imagine if I had a fear of failure.... what could be the outcome?

1) Leave current job (it pays the bills etc.) 2) Start new venture 3) Fail! (I have deliberately shortcut the possible reasons - so bear with me!) 4) No money comes in.... 5) Can't pay bills..... 6) Lose home etc etc

I believe the people who study this type of thought process would call it the Domesday scenario!

I guess success would be called the 'Google scenario'!?

I can't remove the word fail from my vocabulary - just try and make succeed more likely - how?

Isn't the following a more accurate doomsday scenario?

1) Leave current job (it pays the bills etc.)

2) Start new venture

3) Fail!

4) Get a new job

5) Goto 1)

"I can't remove the word fail from my vocabulary"

You could start by removing the word "can't" from your vocabulary.

Are 'fail' and 'can't' words in your vocabulary?

I assume so, as you clearly understand my comments.

Something more thoughtful would help! ;)

I can't speak for Ed, but "fail" and "can't" are still very much words in my vocabulary, and I worry almost daily that we can't build the product we'd want to use and will fail in the market. Maybe that's a problem for me. It does seem to be a negative when talking to people about my startup; they pick up cracks in the facade of perfect confidence fairly often.

But I don't want to be blindsided by potential problems; I want to catch them as quickly as possible so they can be fixed. My role in the startup has always been the engineer, and as an engineer, it's my job to be pessimistic. (I used to have a business-type cofounder who was much more gung-ho, but he left for B-school, and now I've gotta do both. Concentrating on the product first...)

One of my favorite quotes, though, is:

"Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway."

I'd much rather imagine everything that can go wrong now than be blindsided by it later.

nostrademons,

I have always had a lot of respect for you and your contributions here.

At first, I was a little surprised to hear you say, 'but "fail" and "can't" are still very much words in my vocabulary'. I never imagined you as someone who "worried".

But then once I thought about it, it's no surprise at all. There is no one philosophy or "thought set" that makes one a successful hacker or business person. This may be the biggest takeaway for the OP - yes you can; there are very few absolute disqualifiers.

This discussion reminds me of my first 2 mentors, both very successful and great leaders. Neither would accept "no" and both got upset when I used the words "can't" or "but". I know it sounds silly now, but I have maintained that philosophy ever since.

Sometimes forcing yourself to "find the possibilities" brings something out from deep down inside that you never knew was there.

One of the few people I have respect for in my career had a phase for this regarding the progress of projects, and I think it applies to start-ups in the sense that sometimes people are blinkered about what they are doing and that is this:

"Disappoint early"

In other words, as soon as you are aware of a problem - Raise it. And then discuss it and work it out.

"Something more thoughtful would help!"

It may not have been very profound, but that was the most thoughtful response I could give.

I believe the single biggest differentiator between success and failure is not giving up. Removing the words "can't" and "fail" from your vocabulary is a very simple illustration of this philosophy.

(Lighten up, it's metaphorical, not literal.)

'I believe the single biggest differentiator between success and failure is not giving up. Removing the words "can't" and "fail" from your vocabulary is a very simple illustration of this philosophy.'

I agree totally - sorry if I seemed uptight! (it's late here in the UK!)

You don't go along with the age thing then?

Not at all. I'm older than you and having a ball.

(By the way, it looks like you're getting lots of excellent feedback in this thread. Welcome aboard!)

Thanks for the comments. I hope to be at that ball soon, perhaps in a nice new tux!