Can I work a part-time job to start a company?

Instead of a part time job, call yourself a "consultant" and say you have "1/2 of your time available". Companies are generally more likely to bring in a consultant/freelancer 1/2 time than an employee.

(Make sure you charge enough though - being a consultant means you'll have costs you're not used to as an employee, like insurance and self employment tax).

I did technical training to help fund a startup (had a co-founder). Trained approx 6 days a month (sometimes traveling). It helped make sure the bank account didn't drain quite as quickly. It was hard, but not as hard as a full time job.

> I'm a relationship manager at a commercial bank, what kind of part-time jobs can I get?

Virtual assistant? Maybe ask your current employer if you can go part-time (depending on how much they love you and if there's precedent)?

> However, I don't want to waste a year doing petty work on the startup.

In my experience there's all kinds of petty work at any startup, and a disproportionate amount falls to founders. They're kind of the catch-all utility players.

If you haven't done it yet and you have the time and opportunity, you might want to join a startup as an early employee to see what founders go through up close and personal.

I have fallen into this trap myself, but please stop outsourcing your life skills and life decisions to the Internet.

I personally just do a way worse job at my full time job :)

You could do that, but consider keeping the full-time job and instead spend your spare time getting the word out about your startup, meeting people, finding customers, etc. A year later you'll be in a better position to know what to build.

i think 50% of HN would sign up for a part-time job if such things -- in a Professional/IT context -- existed.