Ask HN: Lawyer with 200k and Side BusinessCareer Moves

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12775738

by asoskm • 10 years ago

2 1 10 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I'm working as a lawyer in London. I have a side business that generates 200k a year in profits (takes about 7-10 hours a week of work).

I find the law boring. My focus has been on commercial contracts - i.e drafting, advising and reading contracts.

On paper, I have strong experience - Big law firm, worked under a now Supreme Court Judge, worked at a private equity firm.

My area of business is slow, boring and unsexy.

Do you think I should quit and focus on growing my business? Or would it be a waste of my legal experience.

techjuice• 10 years ago

Quit the dull, boring day job and focus on your business full time. If you want to use your legal experience create a side business that uses it that takes a small amount of time to operate. There is no point going to a boring regular day job that you do not enjoy when you have a successful business of your own that is profitable that you enjoy.

Staying in a job that is boring leads to mental illness, depression and the inevitable burn out. The big downside of staying is when your burnout or snap time comes everyone else would have seen it coming except for you which might burn some bridges if your burn out in a bad way. I would suggest making changes so you can move away from the day job that you do not like so you can enjoy the side business your created and turn it into your main business. Since you only have to use 7 to 10 hours now to operate it, then it is not even a day job and pretty well off when compared to the regular side business.