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Ask HN: Choosing a industry/field

6 points by czcar ↗ HN
How did you choose the industry or field that you specialize in? The biggest barrier I have found to starting a company ( or perhaps its another form of procrastination) is finding a field or industry that is sufficiently interesting to me, comparative to alternatives. I am curious as to how you (as an employee or entrepreneur etc) sat down and decided that from today on I am a online retailer, a web consultant, a MD of a Logistics company etc. Did you just choose the field with the most interest to you, did you solve a problem that is personal to yourself, did you follow a methodology of finding a problem like Steve blank suggests?? cheers, cameron

12 comments

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frisco
I'm finding (not that this is a unique observation at all, though) that there are two kinds of founders: engineers who are accidental entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs who are founders. If you need to think hard to find even a sector to found a startup in, you're probably doing it wrong. Not that you can't be successful, and I wish the best of luck to anyone, but it seems like the giants we all know come from founders who started coding to solve some problem, and let the company grow from there on its own, instead of the other way around.
czcar
thanks for the response, it concerns me in as much that i think that your probably correct. its easy to excuse myself as an undergraduate, and "put it off" till later, but it seems that the successful people don't even consider second guessing themselves, instead they have started. although i take (perhaps falsely) solace when reading of firms such as sony and hp that started with the intent to create something, but without an ideas as to what those things would be.
frisco
I just wouldn't even think about it. Get yourself in interesting situations; join a research lab where you're not cleaning glassware, do GSoC, etc., and just not worry about founding a company, especially since you're still in school. Trust in randomness, and you'll find plenty of great opportunities if you make yourself available for them to find you.
vaksel
just build something that you yourself need for day to day life or your hobby
bprater
It is super important that you find something you are passionate about. Don't pick a field because it'll make you good money.

Make life an amazing journey for yourself and give yourself permission to jump into something with both feet and experience it fully, without the worry of "did I pick the right one".

elviejo
I have the same doubts as you.

My current plan is: 1 Find an industry with a ROOT problem that hasn't been solved. 2 Solve the problem. 3 Implement the solution in software form. 4 Sell the Solution, packaged in sw. 5 Profit.

I'm still trying to find step 1

ahoyhere
Why do you think you'll be able to spot the root problem if you can't even pick an industry?
Tichy
Just thought today in bed that with software development, one can never completely lose. Even when unemployed, you can still build stuff, and eventually perhaps even sell it. On the other hand, I am not sure how to pass time as an unemployed stock broker, for example? One could write a book about investing, but after a while, that could become boring.

So I think for starters it might be a good idea to pick the profession where the skills you acquire enable you to create stuff...

catch404
Very interesting way of putting it, something I've always known but never considered comparing to other jobs. Then again you still need to pay the bills while unemployed :) A plumer may have more luck doing 'perk' jobs.
lallysingh
Don't. Try around in a few forms and see what sticks. Don't think too hard about any of them: Overintellectualizing is a real problem. There's a good chance you'll find what you like fairly early on after a few attempts.

There's enough random chance and other variables involved (e.g. your marketing & business skills) that this variable just isn't worth blowing too much time on. You'll probably have to make a lot of attempts & drastic course corrections to make it stick.