The power of this best-of-craigslist post is that he (a former partner-track and then partner-at-age-30 lawyer) talks about why he is happy with his post-superachiever life and at the same time - he does not condescend those people who choose to be slackers, homemakers, or McMansion home owners, or whatever they want to be (as long as it makes them happy)

I came across a definition of success on Friday that really resonated with me: Success is not about financial independence, a big house, or fame. It's about whether you are making progress towards worthy goals.

I like it because that allows us to feel we are succeeding now, rather than the proverbial later.

Add to that my definition of class: How you treat others. This guy learned the hard way, but he learned. Others never do.

Great post. Every once in a while, it's nice when someone says that which should go without saying.

Profit of successful startup: several million in four years

Profit of successful lawyer: several million throughout lifetime

And once again, the nerds own the jocks.

You are comparing apples to oranges.

Becoming partner at a large firm is like working up to VP at an established tech company.

Starting your own law firm that specializes in class action law suits - that's a lot more like a startup.

but only a small percent of startups succeed.

whereas most people with a law degree can be "successful" lawyers.

Last I heard, half the YC startups succeed, with the other half flaking out due to some avoidable flaw (or, a very small percentage like Kiko, just plain unluck).

Roughly half of the first batch succeeded.

I believe about a quarter of the second batch have gotten there, likewise for third and fourth batches (though it's not as obvious the later you get, as they haven't had as much time).

One could argue that YC acceptance or receiving some level of funding is akin to being accepted into law school: Your odds of success go up, but neither is a guarantee. I've known people who went to law school but failed to make it through or failed to pass the bar. Investing time in a startup is a similar risk, I think.

Sure is nice to have a rich Ivy League lawyer tell me how unimportant success is and just to be happy with my life.

Man, based on the overall negative response this comment generated, perhaps I need to go back and reread the posting. I'm not above thinking that I'm never incorrect <-- that's a triple negative, for those that are counting.

Nope, I just reread it. It's as bad as I recall.