Back in the days I worked at Netscape and Infoseek, two startups where early employees were raking millions in vested options sales. I just started working the

Back in the days I worked at Netscape and Infoseek, two startups where early employees were raking millions in vested options sales. I just started working then and I got in a little too late into the game. My options never made me a dime there or at any of the 4 or 5 other companies that gave me options. So to the great disappointment of recruiters I started negotiating compensation at my next jobs by always asking to trade some of the options in the package for more cold hard salary cash. I wouldn't say no to options but unless you join a startup very early, they usually are a very risky bet to make up for, say, a pay cut from your previous position. It's served me well. I am not Cresus and I don't drive an expensive sports car but I do have enough in the bank for a few rainy days and I feel safe to be able to take the risks I now take as an entrepreneur myself. So never forget, short of being lucky, only business owners, stockholders (not option holders) are really poised to make the big bucks if a company makes it to the top. As an employee your options were always planned by the company CFO and its lawyers to be sufficient in numbers to just bring you the equivalent of a nice fat bonus if the company fares well. Not more. If you are an employee, freelancer, or contractor, try to get paid for what you do. Don't say no to options but make sure you don't rely on them to heavily.