I sympathize with your last sentence entirely, and with your "sort of" reaction to the article as well. Out of curiosity, how do you feel about talking to users? That's one thing I don't feel ambivalent about. If someone is using what I've made, I really want to talk to that person and find out what would make them happy; if they're happy I want to find out what would delight them. I'm kind of hoping this will make up for the lack of some of what the WSJ considers "entrepreneurial" qualities.
The more I think about it, the more I'm annoyed by that article. The way it begins - "Make sure you're cut out for it first" - seems self-refuting to me. The inner drive that causes someone to do creative or bold things doesn't sit down to ponder 10-point lists crafted by pseudo-experts before deciding whether it's "cut out for it". Every time I listen to this kind of thing I later wish I had ignored it.
p.s. I've done consulting and freelancing too. You're never working on something that is your own. After a while, you realize your soul is starving. Meanwhile you've become a crack addict, where the crack is your hourly rate.
pp.s. That doesn't mean it isn't better than being an employee, which is a form of serfdom.
Oh, I definitely like customers and talking to people, and that kind of thing. I'm not an antisocial person. I actually prefer the customer relationship a lot more than I do that of employer/employee in that either one of is pretty much free to do as we please - they don't have to buy my stuff or my services, and if they're seriously annoying, I can decide I don't want them as a customer, or simply ignore them. Granted, you can't always do that, but still... it's just a happier situation than having to order people around, or having someone order you around.
The more I think about it, the more I'm annoyed by that article. The way it begins - "Make sure you're cut out for it first" - seems self-refuting to me. The inner drive that causes someone to do creative or bold things doesn't sit down to ponder 10-point lists crafted by pseudo-experts before deciding whether it's "cut out for it". Every time I listen to this kind of thing I later wish I had ignored it.
p.s. I've done consulting and freelancing too. You're never working on something that is your own. After a while, you realize your soul is starving. Meanwhile you've become a crack addict, where the crack is your hourly rate.
pp.s. That doesn't mean it isn't better than being an employee, which is a form of serfdom.