fzwang

8 ms·

1.
by fzwang 8mo ago
IMO, the proposed 5/5 compensation is a bit high. If I understand correctly, he's essentially asking for approx $1.2M total comp package for raising $4M. I'd suggest 2.5% and 2.5%, or some combination of. There are terms othe
2.
by fzwang 8mo ago
Sorry to hear that you're going through this. I work with other students/recent grads going through the same thing. A few suggestions: 1) To echo some of the other comments here, getting a regular routine will help you get into be
3.
by fzwang 10mo ago
I used to work in VC and have dealth with university commercialization/IP offices. 1) If it's serious, you need to lawyer up. It might not be now but if you can get some investors involved they could help with getting legal resour
4.
by fzwang 11mo ago
Location: Toronto, Canada Remote: Yes Willing to relocate: No Technologies: N/A Website: www.divepod.to Email: frank@divepod.to I'm building out a new comp sci education program based on an advisory model. It is intended to comple
5.
by fzwang 11mo ago
From my experience and talking to other founders/engineers ... 1) It's good to analyze what's the source of the burn-out. In many instances, it's not exactly exhaustion per se, but lack of meaning in what they are doing
6.
by fzwang 11mo ago
I work with students and junior engs. Personally, I'd avoid using AI tools for learning atm. 1) As a learning path planning tool, I find LLM tools are very good at creating learning plans and next steps for popular concepts. However, t
7.
by fzwang 11mo ago
It seems like the cashflow situation will rule out some options, at least for the moment, like boostrapping etc. Contracting could be a temporary option, esp for US companies that need in-person support with good language skills. This would
8.
by fzwang 11mo ago
From your comments, it seems like there's a lot of internal and external issues you're dealing with. Internally, your sense of self worth is very much tied to your compensation/wealth. The recent rejections have triggered anx
9.
by fzwang 1y ago
Often solo-founders build very niche apps/SaaS which they already have a personal network for or can target smaller platforms and business networks for marketing/distribution. You can stay small and do very well. The larger platfo
10.
by fzwang 1y ago
If you haven't already, check out the HTMX community [1]. I think there's some recognition that a lot of SPAs didn't need to be SPAs in the first place. At the end of the day, you're just submitting a form for a CRUD app
11.
by fzwang 1y ago
Generally, less classrooms/traditional schooling, and more exposure to the real world. Taking more time to meet people and expand the social horizons. I feel like I just didn't know what I didn't know. And I was making decisi
12.
by fzwang 1y ago
It's an interesting conundrum, where everyone knows the system is bs but no one wants to take the first step. Hypothetically, some possible scenarios: 1) An external event, like a war, that stress test the credentials and to force sele
13.
by fzwang 1y ago
I think this is the lack of accountability that I find frustrating in the education system. If the student gets a bad experience, they are always blamed first and the role of the teacher/professor/university is never questioned.
14.
by fzwang 1y ago
I agree with your general assessment, but not sure if the blame could be placed on employers mostly/entirely. They're also limited by bounded rationality and cannot (or should not) dictate what the purpose of an education should b
15.
by fzwang 1y ago
This is an interesting question. I work with students (older teens/young adults) and they are dealing with similar issues. It seems like the world's expectations shifted very quickly under their feet. I don't think anyone kno
16.
by fzwang 1y ago
Sorry to hear that. This info does make it easier to rule out some options. As a hiring manager, I'm usually not looking for a specific skillset from recent grads, but whether they are competent learners and have good communication ski
17.
by fzwang 1y ago
If your financial situation allows it, I'd recommend you take some time off to recharge and reflect on what you'd want to do next. You've likely come off the hamster wheel, so to speak, and now is sorta lost. All the regular
18.
by fzwang 1y ago
This. For me, it was a few students/junior folks I know mentioned that they posted on here and reddit, but got no responses. So now I make an effort to comment/respond to new posts, esp AskHN.
19.
by fzwang 1y ago
I agree. Imo, #2 is becoming more of an emphasis over time. Teacher don't have much time/energy to pursue #1. Eventually, most of them stop caring and rely on testing metrics because that's what the admins want. It's ama
20.
by fzwang 1y ago
I run a program for high schoolers to emphasize this skill. However, the entire K-University pipeline is designed around credentialism. Ie. do whatever you need to, cram/cheat/regurgitate, to get the rubber stamp. It's really
21.
by fzwang 1y ago
I'm glad you made the commitment to change something in your life. Your previous job, and perhaps the way you approached it, was obviously not healthy. 1) The degree anxiety is understandable, but just in your head. I run a comp sci pr
22.
by fzwang 1y ago
I second this. If you're trying to signal just on "I can code", then there will be fewer differentiating factors between you and younger people. Typically, I don't think of software dev as an "industry" in itse
23.
by fzwang 1y ago
I work with students (older teens/early 20s) and I understand the feeling of fear/despair. The reality is there are things you can't change and you should focus on those that you can. We're still not sure what is the imp
24.
by fzwang 1y ago
That's pretty normal. The culture in the Bay area is quite unique in the early suppression of any "common"/status-quo sense. So even silly/"stupid" ideas are entertained. If you're building anywhere e
25.
by fzwang 1y ago
The route they use is pretty good for indoor runs when the weather or slush/ice gets bad. Mix of stairs + flat stretches. The only downside is that parts of the route are gated by doors which you have to open manually, but def a first
26.
by fzwang 1y ago
We also have a 5K race in the PATH! [1] In the winter the tunnels are amazing for commute. [1] https://www.bougebouge.com/en/shop/events/5km-bougebouge-tor...
27.
by fzwang 1y ago
All kids have the instinct to learn, but it's not a set-and-forget dynamic where you can just leave them with a computer/gadget. Their interests and curiousity feed off of those around them. Having access to "true play"
28.
by fzwang 1y ago
Not in SF, but talked to a number of Canadian founders when I worked in VC. It depends on your financial/legal situation, those of your co-founders(if any), and what types of "returns" you are referring to by ROI. 1) The obvi
29.
by fzwang 1y ago
I talked to a number of people who used AI to start their business in the early stages. Some of the positive things I see is that vibe coding is pretty powerful for non-technical people. If you adopt the AI-as-floor-raiser mindset, it remov
30.
by fzwang 1y ago
VCs are going to look at a solo technical founder, and ask: * Are they going to have an interest in the business side? If not, they may ignore/be unaware of problems that are existential to the company. * Will they have the capacity to

More ›