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I agree, though you do need to make sure you choose a good startup. There are still startups out there that view developers as interchangeable cogs, where you
by geebee 15y ago
I agree, though you do need to make sure you choose a good startup. There are still startups out there that view developers as interchangeable cogs, where you can end up with the worst of all worlds (no stable paycheck, no real autonomy, uninteresting work).
One thing I did notice - it can be a little risky to spend a long time at a single startup that fails. I worked for a startup that did fail (and was a little crappy) for two years, and some people had been there for 8 or more years. When it tanked, the people who had spent their entire career since college at the startup didn't have extensive networks to tap into for the next gig.
The ideal resume probably includes a stint at a large but respected company (such as google amazon), as well as some innovative work at smaller companies and/or startups and maybe some consulting and open source work.
Of course, the "resume" is starting to get a little outdated, and a lot of people would say the best thing to do is just start your own company when you're young and can afford the risk, rather than wasting those consequence-free first 10 years on resume building.
Now that I'm the primary wage earner for a family with two kids, trust me, I know the restrictions. Interestingly, startups aren't really off limits to people like me in places like the Bay Area, because they keep your skills sharp and there is just so much hiring going on (the ol "career security" vs "job security" thing).
But what is off limits (or at least very difficult) is the ramen-level poverty you can afford when you're in your 20s and have nobody depending on you. For the first 5 years after college, my rent was $350/month near the beach in San Diego, and that was the only real expense. If I'd needed to, I could have driven that even lower. That's a serious opportunity that goes away later in life.
- krschultz 15y agoIt does go away later in life, but I personally think 2 years at a job is not a bad idea (of course I am biased because that's what I'm doing). You certainly want to take advantage of the low cost of 20's living. That is definitely a big asset. But if you can save up some money working first, that really extends your runway. I can have that cheap cost of living for 2 years while making a real salary, and save the difference. Now my runway is quite long.
- FrojoS 15y agoI would love to move to Mission Beach, San Diego! Best surfing place I've ever been to [1]. However, I assume, that there is more interesting stuff going on in Silicon Valley. Right now, my plan for the summer is to couch surf around a bit in Palo Alto first. Then, if I find nice people I will offer them a small but fair monthly payment so I can use there kitchen and bathroom and hang up my hammok in the garden. Has anyone tried this before? Any tips? Looking for a couch surfer? I'd like to bring down my expense to the minimum of what is sustainable, healthy and productive. Can you use the Stanford library and Wi-Fi for free? You can at MIT but here in Munich the Wi-Fi is locked for non-students/alumni. Also, according to Phd-comics, there is a much free food there as at MIT, right? [1] I learned to surf whites with a long board there within a few hours. The best thing is, that you can walk instead of paddle because the water is so shallow. This way, you can surf all day long, even as a rookie. Also, board + wetsuit are $10 whereas in San Francisco I couldn't find anything cheaper than $25. In San Diego they even let you bring back the stuff any time you want, with free pick up later the day.
- geebee 15y agoYeah, Mission Beach is an excellent surfing beach, good for beginners but also attracts some good surfers because it's a wide open beach break in the usually crowded SoCal surf scene. I was about a 5 minute bike ride away. The downside is that this is pretty much what I spent my time doing. Keep that in mind any time you consider taking any advice from me ;) Unfortunately, PB and MB are no longer anywhere near as inexpensive as they were when I was living there, so it's not quite the slacker paradise it used to be.
- Brewer 15y agoThe hammock idea would be great, up until the rain started.