from Hacker News

Plumbing for Joy? Be Your Own Boss

by vrao423 on 9/16/09, 10:03 PM with 5 comments

• by hristov on 9/17/09, 12:27 AM

  One thing the WSJ does not notice is that the business owner category definitely self selects for success. If you are one of that majority of businesses that fail, than you soon stop being a business owner and you won't be measured by the survey. Also if you do not like being a business owner, or you are not good at it, it is a very easy category to exit.

  So the survey will tend to measure at least relatively successful business owners. Nevertheless, I have noticed that business owners tend to be happier.

  One thing that worried me about the survey is that it put professionals second. I do not know much about doctors but I am a lawyer and know many of them, and if we are anywhere near the second profession in terms of happiness and wellbeing there must be a lot of suffering out there.

• by tptacek on 9/16/09, 10:24 PM

  Told you you could get rich being a plumber.

  http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=800487

• by mrshoe on 9/16/09, 10:42 PM

  I would never call pg wrong (especially not on HN ;), but I side with DHH on this one:

  http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1159-you-dont-have-to-sell-yo...

  I suppose they're both correct in their own ways, but that's a pretty good description of why I'm working on a startup right now.