Well, thanks for calling me naive. I chose to work at a startup after working for an established company full of very smart engineers from whom I learned tons

Well, thanks for calling me naive. I chose to work at a startup after working for an established company full of very smart engineers from whom I learned tons about software development and how to operate. I left because after a number of years I felt the need to work on something new and really apply what I had learned, not just about code but building the tech-side of the company. Having a blank slate allowed me to improve in areas I thought could be done better, it showed me the short comings in other approaches. Ultimately it's been an incredible learning experience that you just can't replicate in a lot of ways. I also have entrepreneurial ambitions so joining a startup as employee #1 has allowed me to learn how to build a business at every level. Again, very valuable information that you just won't get from BigCo, MedCo, and probably not even SmallCo. I can't pay to get this knowledge, I simply can't so how do you value this? Luckily for me this is more of a thought exercise as wages in my area are somewhat depressed so a startup can offer a competitive salary. However I have also seen a handful of graduates who got into software purely as a financial motivation, and dream of winning the startup lottery. They turn down a better job, be it salary, benefits, or a place with great learning potential for a few more options. These are the exploited, the naive.