I think the first thing someone should consider when looking at jobs is their risk tolerance. If you don't have two parents who are alive and healthy and own t

I think the first thing someone should consider when looking at jobs is their risk tolerance. If you don't have two parents who are alive and healthy and own their home mortgage-free, you probably have a low risk tolerance. Go work at a FAANG; ISOs have an effective value of $0 to you. If your grandpa can afford to give you $10000 to start a startup, or if you can always move into your parents' basement when you become broke, then I would think about a startup. You can tolerate owing hundreds of thousands in taxes in the worst case, and the higher expected value (and higher personal growth, in the early years) is worthwhile.