YC is three months of funding. IF you make $25 an hour, you can work a three month contract and save up enough to fund yourself for three months to try and get

YC is three months of funding. IF you make $25 an hour, you can work a three month contract and save up enough to fund yourself for three months to try and get a prototype done. You can totally focus on the project for those three months. If you can only get a 6 month contract, then do it, and you'll have 6 months to work on your idea. Also, you're assuming that doing your startup on the side "massively decreases your chance of success". I think this is in error-- success is goverened by determination more than anything else, and someone who builds something on the side is clearly determined. Personally, its more fun to focus on your project completely, and so, its probably psychologically better to work for 3 or 6 months, and then take a 3 or 6 month "break".