The strategy of only doing it because you have to is one which probably allows for more sustained imbalance and lack of perspective (since the business is everything and must be done, etc.), but I think it is short sighted to believe it's the only reason to start one. Or the only reason one could avoid disappointment when doing so.
At the end of the day, maybe this wasn't something I had to do, but it was something I wanted to do. And it has certainly been an incredibly rewarding experience. Overall, I am anything but disappointed. I've made many great friends, grown exponentially as a programmer and designer, even gotten a taste of the investment world.
Sure, sometimes it sucks, but never once have I said to myself, "I would've been better off getting a job." There's not once I'd have believed it.
"maybe this wasn't something I had to do, but it was something I wanted to do"
Semantics. I think we're saying the same thing.
You really wanted to do it badly, right? That's what I call had to do. Obviously, you don't have to do anything except breathe & eat, but you get the idea.
At the end of the day, maybe this wasn't something I had to do, but it was something I wanted to do. And it has certainly been an incredibly rewarding experience. Overall, I am anything but disappointed. I've made many great friends, grown exponentially as a programmer and designer, even gotten a taste of the investment world.
Sure, sometimes it sucks, but never once have I said to myself, "I would've been better off getting a job." There's not once I'd have believed it.