There's a corollary in here: if you're early in your career, optimize for skill-building as much as possible. It doesn't matter whether you're building skills at someone else's company or at your own (though the former pays better), but it does matter that you're building them.
I quit my day job a couple years ago to found a startup with a friend. The startup flamed out miserably, and in hindsight I was woefully unprepared. But the skills I learned at my startup set me up for my next job, where there are many more opportunities to learn further skills. Hopefully by my next attempt, I'll have enough "rare and desirable" skills to make it succeed.
Come to think of it, this may make a good litmus test for when to leave your job. Quit when the opportunities available for skill building are less than what you'd learn from a failed startup.
I quit my day job a couple years ago to found a startup with a friend. The startup flamed out miserably, and in hindsight I was woefully unprepared. But the skills I learned at my startup set me up for my next job, where there are many more opportunities to learn further skills. Hopefully by my next attempt, I'll have enough "rare and desirable" skills to make it succeed.
Come to think of it, this may make a good litmus test for when to leave your job. Quit when the opportunities available for skill building are less than what you'd learn from a failed startup.