HN has a few idiosyncrasies, but to me it's the last bastion of high-quality discussion on the internet with a shared front-page.

For years I've kept a tab open and refreshed a dozen times a day. But what I didn't expect is that this community would actively change the course of my life.

Over the years, I have amassed a graveyard of side projects, and in 2021 I launched a new one. The MVP had zero users, and my finger was hovering over the big red button once again...

I posted to Show HN just for kicks, and braced for the onslaught. But to my astonishment, the constructive and energizing feedback I received went on to power my indie dev journey over the past two and a half years [0]

And now... I just officially quit my day job to work on that passion project full-time! [1]

Historically I have not thought of myself as an entrepreneur. Nor a risk-taker. I have worked a stable mid-tier SWE job for nearly a decade, abiding all the stand-ups, bureaucracy, and revectoring.

I'm just a guy that likes to make things in my free time, and who never dared to believe one of those projects could grow into something real.

But after building on nights and weekends for the past 2.5 years and reaching 2,500 paid customers, I realized that even in the worst case, I would rather fail pursuing a dream than let a promising small business die on the vine and always wonder what might have been.

So although this jump to full-time is earlier than my personal financial modeling showed a robust chance of success for, it's time to set aside a few of the worries and risk mitigation tactics, and take a step into the unknown.

I never imagined my career taking this course, and without that early support and encouragement from this community... it simply would not have.

So I'd like to say a thank you to HN. Not just for being my favorite news source, or for being one of the only platforms not chalk full of formulaic engagement-optimized posts, but for helping me personally find the courage to leave the corporate world, set out on a new path, and chase a dream :)

[0] most recent Show HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36849502

[1] https://x.com/_knolan/status/1724142406352646601?s=20

Submissions by scubakid

Tell HN: How you changed my life trajectory

Tell HN: How you changed my life trajectory