4 ms·

There are a bunch of advantages to the non-startup route: - Weekends are yours. - Guaranteed good pay. After ~4 years at MSFT, I was making nicely north of $2

There are a bunch of advantages to the non-startup route: - Weekends are yours. - Guaranteed good pay. After ~4 years at MSFT, I was making nicely north of $200k gross. As a developer. In 2004 dollars --- it's probably more now. - There are technical people more experienced than you, interested in mentoring your growth. I used to joke as a hiring manager that you could tell quickly in an interview how long someone had been in the startup pit because they had learned no new concepts (only new technology) since they started. Why would anyone technical who doesn't explicitly want the startup experience do it these days? It's not like the mad IPO cash-out and low corporate pay days of the late 90s / early 00s.

mtomczak 17y ago
I think this is the flip-side of the startup coin that many people forget about. The quote from the article that stuck out most for met was "But most of all: nothing is more motivating and inspiring than the sense of ownership and self-direction only a startup can provide." Having decided to walk away from the startup I helped to found, I couldn't disagree more. The three things mentioned by larsberg are three things I'd grown to sorely miss. In particular, no-one is around to teach me test-driven design, and when I'm already putting in 120% during the day, I'm deadened to the desire to self-learn through books and scavenging on the internet.
Psyonic 17y ago
Did you join MSFT straight out of college? If so, that's amazing money for only 4 years experience... or at least it seems that way to me
coliveira 17y ago
I agree with you. If you are really a technical person, being the founder is not the most enviable thing to be. You can learn much more being in a successful big company. However, if you see technology as a way to make money, founding a business is the best way to get ahead. It all depends on what you really value.
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
strlen 17y ago
> - There are technical people more experienced than you, interested in mentoring your growth. I used to joke as a hiring manager that you could tell quickly in an interview how long someone had been in the startup pit because they had learned no new concepts (only new technology) since they started. It's hard to over-state that. When joining company (start-up or not), I always make sure I am would not be the smartest person in the company (having made that mistake once and deeply regretted it).
- orborde 17y ago
  Care to explain?

mtomczak 17y ago

I think this is the flip-side of the startup coin that many people forget about. The quote from the article that stuck out most for met was "But most of all: nothing is more motivating and inspiring than the sense of ownership and self-direction only a startup can provide." Having decided to walk away from the startup I helped to found, I couldn't disagree more. The three things mentioned by larsberg are three things I'd grown to sorely miss. In particular, no-one is around to teach me test-driven design, and when I'm already putting in 120% during the day, I'm deadened to the desire to self-learn through books and scavenging on the internet.

Psyonic 17y ago

Did you join MSFT straight out of college? If so, that's amazing money for only 4 years experience... or at least it seems that way to me

coliveira 17y ago

I agree with you. If you are really a technical person, being the founder is not the most enviable thing to be. You can learn much more being in a successful big company. However, if you see technology as a way to make money, founding a business is the best way to get ahead. It all depends on what you really value.

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

strlen 17y ago

> - There are technical people more experienced than you, interested in mentoring your growth. I used to joke as a hiring manager that you could tell quickly in an interview how long someone had been in the startup pit because they had learned no new concepts (only new technology) since they started. It's hard to over-state that. When joining company (start-up or not), I always make sure I am would not be the smartest person in the company (having made that mistake once and deeply regretted it).

orborde 17y ago
Care to explain?