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I just want to provide a counterpoint to the above article. My first job out of college was at one of the "sexy" unicorns. I had fun working there, loved my cow

I just want to provide a counterpoint to the above article. My first job out of college was at one of the "sexy" unicorns. I had fun working there, loved my coworkers, etc. I ended up leaving after 18 months to go start my own thing for many of the same reasons listed in this article. I'm in my twenties! Now is the time to take risks and optimize for learning! In retrospect, I wish I hadn't. Maybe that's because they just filed for IPO. But I underestimated how rare these jobs are. Let's be honest--the types of experiences the author references are only available at hyper-growth startups the Valley has deemed to be "sexy". Just look at the examples: Uber, Stripe, Coinbase. The author makes it sound like you can walk into one of these roles whenever you want. It's a lie. First, these companies only come around once in a blue moon. Second, you've got to time it just right. Third, you have to convince them to hire you. I'm sure most people on here have a story about how they didn't get a job for no discernible reason whatsoever. There are many good reasons to leave a job. Don't let hustle porn be one of them.

asdfasgasdgasdg 6y ago
Agreed. There are many axes along which one's career can be wasted. Throwing prime earning years at a low expected yield activity like founding startups can be one of them, depending on your priorities and luck. If one views making money as the primary purpose of a career, that will inform decisions differently than the criteria this article identifies.
bumby 6y ago
Did your unicorn job meet the Accomplishment, Impact, Growth, Challenge, and Community aspects of the article? While I have some reservations about the article (chiefly that these all have to be evaluated every three months) I think the framework to assess your current position is very different than just changing to start your “own thing”, chase the newest shiny object etc.
- sushicalculus 6y ago
  Those aspects are also too inward/selfish. What About the company? Did you join for the mission, is the mission something you still support, is the mission something the leadership actually conveys or is it lip service, do you feel you’re in a position to be impactful for that mission. Sometimes you might get a crappy job at a company with a cool mission (such as SpaceX) but it doesn’t mean you have to leave. Transfer internally!
  - bumby 6y ago
    Personally, I agree. I was just trying to put your comment/critique in the context of the article. For me, connecting to an overall mission/purpose is more important and provides the discipline and motivation to continue when the job isn’t hitting on all the cylinders outlined in the article. It all comes down to what you want to optimize for. The article seems to make a case to optimize for self actualization. Your comment about exiting before an IPO being a mistake seems to elude that one should optimize for maximum financial gain. Neither of those are my particular priority, but to each their own
  - leetrout 6y ago
    I’ve yet to work somewhere that has instilled faith in their internal transfer process. It’s rife with subjective and/or closed door requirements and “deals” like your current manager having to agree to the transfer.
  - hn_throwaway_99 6y ago
    Be extremely, extremely, extremely careful for staying at any company for the "mission". The primary mission of any capitalist company is to make their biggest investors and founders a lot of money, and you shouldn't forget that. While some exceptions do exist (I actually think your SpaceX example is a very good one - Musk has pointed out, rightfully IMO, that if he just wanted to get richer there are easier ways to do it), they are few and far between. VCs and investors largely depend on the "mission" myth solely as a motivational tool to get employees to work harder.
    - dvtrn 6y ago
      I think mission statements ought to go away entirely, anyway. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/jobs/23mgmt.html https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/jobs/23mgmt.html
      - bumby 6y ago
        I would argue the examples in that article are poor mission statements. They are really just PR fluff. A real mission statement is suppose to provide a lens through which tough decisions can be viewed, similar to the military idea of “commanders intent”. Vague, overly generalized mission statements like those in the article don’t really provide that sort of framework. The most general I‘ve come across while still having some sort of decision meaning was “create more value than you capture”. So if you are proposing some rent-seeking idea, you should know it’s a bad idea.
dustingetz 6y ago
Even so you have to choose between status/money and skill. The way SV thinks about engineering is under the influence of billions of dollars being poured into 90s tech for incremental improvements. Linux. Java. Javascript. The research community has long known how to do better but change doesn't benefit monopolies.
m463 6y ago
There is no back, only forward. Looking back I should have kept that, sold that, married that one, stayed away from that one, moved out earlier, tried harder, given up, etc...
Spooky23 6y ago
Many of these types of posts of reflections of the insecurity of the authors. You don’t want to be like one of the IBM lifers back in the day who sat around waiting to get culled like a steer. But staying at a job where you enjoy what you do usually isn’t a bad move.
Winterflow3r 6y ago
Can I ask what happened to your startup?
maerF0x0 6y ago
> Now is the time to take risks and optimize for learning! Why is now the time to take risks? Long term debilitating losses have more years to compound for you. For example if you crash in a motorcycle and are paralyzed you'll have to spend more years in a wheel chair than someone who is older.

asdfasgasdgasdg 6y ago

Agreed. There are many axes along which one's career can be wasted. Throwing prime earning years at a low expected yield activity like founding startups can be one of them, depending on your priorities and luck. If one views making money as the primary purpose of a career, that will inform decisions differently than the criteria this article identifies.

bumby 6y ago

Did your unicorn job meet the Accomplishment, Impact, Growth, Challenge, and Community aspects of the article? While I have some reservations about the article (chiefly that these all have to be evaluated every three months) I think the framework to assess your current position is very different than just changing to start your “own thing”, chase the newest shiny object etc.

sushicalculus 6y ago
Those aspects are also too inward/selfish. What About the company? Did you join for the mission, is the mission something you still support, is the mission something the leadership actually conveys or is it lip service, do you feel you’re in a position to be impactful for that mission. Sometimes you might get a crappy job at a company with a cool mission (such as SpaceX) but it doesn’t mean you have to leave. Transfer internally!
- bumby 6y ago
  Personally, I agree. I was just trying to put your comment/critique in the context of the article. For me, connecting to an overall mission/purpose is more important and provides the discipline and motivation to continue when the job isn’t hitting on all the cylinders outlined in the article. It all comes down to what you want to optimize for. The article seems to make a case to optimize for self actualization. Your comment about exiting before an IPO being a mistake seems to elude that one should optimize for maximum financial gain. Neither of those are my particular priority, but to each their own
- leetrout 6y ago
  I’ve yet to work somewhere that has instilled faith in their internal transfer process. It’s rife with subjective and/or closed door requirements and “deals” like your current manager having to agree to the transfer.
- hn_throwaway_99 6y ago
  Be extremely, extremely, extremely careful for staying at any company for the "mission". The primary mission of any capitalist company is to make their biggest investors and founders a lot of money, and you shouldn't forget that. While some exceptions do exist (I actually think your SpaceX example is a very good one - Musk has pointed out, rightfully IMO, that if he just wanted to get richer there are easier ways to do it), they are few and far between. VCs and investors largely depend on the "mission" myth solely as a motivational tool to get employees to work harder.
  - dvtrn 6y ago
    I think mission statements ought to go away entirely, anyway. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/jobs/23mgmt.html https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/jobs/23mgmt.html
    - bumby 6y ago
      I would argue the examples in that article are poor mission statements. They are really just PR fluff. A real mission statement is suppose to provide a lens through which tough decisions can be viewed, similar to the military idea of “commanders intent”. Vague, overly generalized mission statements like those in the article don’t really provide that sort of framework. The most general I‘ve come across while still having some sort of decision meaning was “create more value than you capture”. So if you are proposing some rent-seeking idea, you should know it’s a bad idea.

dustingetz 6y ago

Even so you have to choose between status/money and skill. The way SV thinks about engineering is under the influence of billions of dollars being poured into 90s tech for incremental improvements. Linux. Java. Javascript. The research community has long known how to do better but change doesn't benefit monopolies.

m463 6y ago

There is no back, only forward. Looking back I should have kept that, sold that, married that one, stayed away from that one, moved out earlier, tried harder, given up, etc...

Spooky23 6y ago

Many of these types of posts of reflections of the insecurity of the authors. You don’t want to be like one of the IBM lifers back in the day who sat around waiting to get culled like a steer. But staying at a job where you enjoy what you do usually isn’t a bad move.

Winterflow3r 6y ago

Can I ask what happened to your startup?

maerF0x0 6y ago

> Now is the time to take risks and optimize for learning! Why is now the time to take risks? Long term debilitating losses have more years to compound for you. For example if you crash in a motorcycle and are paralyzed you'll have to spend more years in a wheel chair than someone who is older.