I agree. The grass is pretty damn green here. I think programming has taught us to think and solve problems. I cant wait to see a world where programmers apply their problem solving skills in other domains and make great leaps.
Just to follow up. How did your day to day work change after PhD? I am sure you would have gotten a chance to work on more interesting things. What are they?
oh wow! I have been on a Boeing 737 simulator once and it was a unforgettable experience. Hoping to earn enough money to fly real aircraft atleast once. Life experiences is what matters.
IMHO, that will depend on the type of business, but getting basic understanding of sales (like, actual deal closing), marketing, and hiring are crucial no matter what.
Even if you plan to bring co-founders on board, understanding the basics of what they do goes a long way establishing trust.
Another thing, which is not a skill, is to understand that techcrunch is not a fair representation of the tech world (& neither is HN), and that building a business is not about making the frontpage, it is about bringing solutions to problems so painful that people are willing to pay you for it.
