1) All else being equal, I would go for a startup. But that's only if all else is equal. What I mean is that if you have offers from top companies, and offers f

1) All else being equal, I would go for a startup. But that's only if all else is equal. What I mean is that if you have offers from top companies, and offers from the hottest startups, you should prefer the startup. The name recognition will be the same (I'm pretty sure any tech recruiter will have heard of, say, Zenefits or something like that), so that's not really an issue. The pay profile will be different, but the best time to take risks is when you're young. Obviously if you can only get offers at mediocre startups you don't believe in, then you should prefer top-company offers. 2) If you don't already have a big name on your resume (through internships, for example), it may be helpful for your first job out of college to be at a brand-name company, if only for 1-2 years.