from Hacker News

Is failed startup experience valuable?

by bentice on 11/30/20, 7:16 PM with 5 comments

I have a side project I am really passionate about. I want to quit my current job and work on it full time. My technical/engineering/code skills are mostly focused on data science/analytics and to complete this project I will need to learn a lot about web development and product management. There is a high probability I will fail but I think I am at a good time in my career for that.

I have savings that I can survive on for a year. My thinking is after 6-8 months I will have an MVP or at least a prototype. Then I can reassess and if it doesn't look like I will be able to create a viable business or raise money to scale I will have to put it on pause and look for a job.

A part of me feels that even if I fail, future employers will look at my attempt as experience. At the same time I know not all failures are created equal, it could easily look like a way to dress up unemployment.

For those who failed at startups and had to get a job after, What was your experience reentering the job market?

Could you find roles you wouldn't have otherwise been able to get without the experience you gained going out on your own? I am not keen on going back to data science/analytics I hope that I'll be able to learn skills for web development and product management along the way.

How do you fail and still have something to show for it?

Thanks!

  • by nowherebeen on 11/30/20, 9:01 PM

    It doesn’t, but if you are technical, it won’t hurt either. You are simply at the same level your last job.

    But if your goal is to start your own business without VC funding, it’s extremely valuable personally. A failed startup is better than no startup for a entrepreneur.

  • by dustingetz on 11/30/20, 7:31 PM

    It counts as experience but only if it is relevant to the position you're applying to, also the optics of your project matter a lot (does it look cool or does it look like a mess).
  • by rajacombinator on 12/1/20, 8:00 AM

    It’s valuable if you learn something. But not in the eyes of employers.