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Ask HN: Is working at a big company early on bad for growth as an engineer?
I'm a new grad, and took a job at a big company as the safe choice out of college.
Now that I'm here, I'm worried it will prevent me from growing as an engineer.
Specifically, I am adding small stuff to a large existing codebase. And writing tests for every little thing (tests are good but this seems excessive). Most of what I learn will be about this big system, and I feel that it probably won't be useful once I leave. Don't get me wrong, this isn't above me, I find it to be challenging (maybe that's a reason to stay).
But sometimes I wonder if I'd be better off at a startup where I have a lot of responsibility, more than I deserve, and grow to fit the position.
Big companies certainly pay the most. But are they a good place to start your career? How can I maximize learning at a big company?
And by big company, I'm referring to FB, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, etc.
- fierro 8y agoI suppose the answer to your question depends on your definition of growth. Succeeding at a large company requires a certain set of skills; I've found the level complexity to be higher, the scope of systems to be wider, and the codebases more difficult to quickly grok. Developing the skill to manage these challenges will help you grow as a "FAANG" engineer. This was my experience at Amazon and is my experience at Google; there are multiple systems managed by multiple teams that solve the same problem, there is generally a lack of authoritative information, and you have to develop a sense of calm in a chaotic, cluttered technical landscape. At a smaller company, you will grow more as an engineer, in my opinion. The tech stack will be fresher and more modern, and while the quality of code may be significantly lower, the complexity of the systems will be lower, and thus you will be able to grasp much or all of the tech stack and how the systems/services work and relate. You will have a better sense of product. You'll learn how the industry operates and will have a better pulse on the state of the art. Smaller companies are more fun. You learn more. But FAANG pays better, and that's what I'm currently optimizing for (so that I can retire earlier, or move to a smaller company later with a bigger safety net). It's a personal choice.