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Not sure if this is the kind of question you cam here to answer, but I am going to ask anyway. I need some life advice. I am a 22 year old senior at a fairly w

Not sure if this is the kind of question you cam here to answer, but I am going to ask anyway. I need some life advice. I am a 22 year old senior at a fairly well respected college. I will be graduating within the year with a degree in electrical engineering, and I do not have the best grades. That is where I run out of ideas. When I decided to major in electrical engineering I was in highschool. I didn't really think about it that much, and I guess I planned on graduating and getting a normal office job doing what I thought was electrical engineering stuff. Currently this is the thing I am most afraid of doing, but it seems like I am getting pushed in that direction. Soon, like some of my friends who graduated last year, I will get job offers at large companies with nice bonuses. I made that decision before I realized how much I love problem solving (and programming is a great tool to solve problems) and creating things myself. I learned python at the beginning of this summer and am currently trying to learn django and javascript/coffeescript. I also plan on making some contributions to the IPython project. I've been teaching myself computer science concepts as well, but no matter how much I try to learn, I still feel like I know much less than the average startup founder/employee. Now I know this is because I have only started studying and learning, but I still probably will not be with a knowledgebase I would feel comfortable with by the time I graduate. And once I graduate my student loan bills will start coming, so I can not afford to sit around self-studying. I guess my question is this: Is there any viable way for me to enter the start-up game, or are my only options to get a entry level job at a large company or go to grad school? I really do not want the former, and I would not mind the latter, but it seems people on here often rail against grad school. I do think I could do without grad school as well. So maybe I am asking an impossible to answer question, but you did say no strings attached. If you do want to answer and would rather contact me directly, you can reach me at jack#minardi,org

drcode 15y ago
My unsolicited 5 cents: In order to become a founder on a startup it would help if you had confidence in your skill set, and it sounds like you're not at that point yet. I would get an office job and continue to develop my skill set with self study- It's helpful to know what it's like working at a real office, so why not try it for a year or two? If, within the next one or two years, you can avoid acquiring a mortgage/wife/child, AND can improve your skill set, you might be able to afford the risk that a startup entails.
- doctoboggan 15y ago
  Thanks for the advice. I have worked for the Air Force Research Lab for the last 4 summers, so I do have somewhat of a taste of office life. This is partly the reason why I do not want a standard office job.
georgieporgie 15y ago
I've known plenty of programmers at small and startup companies who were EE grads. I don't think you're at any significant disadvantage versus a recent CS grad.
mikegreenberg 15y ago
First, stop second guessing yourself. (You did it at least three times in your question.) Second, CARPE DIEM! (Seize the day.) You will NEVER have the same freedom tomorrow that you have today. (Figuratively speaking.) Time and responsibilities have a way of accumulating over time and now, when your time is your own and the world is at your feet, is when you should be experiencing life even if you're not certain of your direction. It's said that "time is wasted on the young and wisdom is wasted on the old". I realize it's hard to know what the right direction is and making the right choices ultimately means a "leg-up" against the competition. But honestly, the competitive spectrum is WIDE and there's plenty of room for someone to rise to the top no matter how late in the game they make it. So don't worry to much about this. As far as your personal situation, i almost did the Air Force thing and I've gone through their OTS summer programs. I'd argue that their office jobs are NOTHING like the private sector. If you're eager to try out the startup game, there are people hiring like crazy right now and I'm positive you could land any of them (even as an intern). Express your desire. Drop the uncertainty act. Try it out and see. Here's an intern gig in NY that I HIGHLY recommend: http://www.skillshare.com/careers/jobs http://www.skillshare.com/careers/jobs Here's a great intern site for a bunch of startups all over the country (still young and might not have stuff in your immediate area): http://www.internmatch.com/ http://www.internmatch.com/ And in the way of getting that first job, here's a post I wrote for someone who was in a slightly similar situation: http://nobulb.com/2011/05/wanted-an-entry-level-job-that-doesnt-suck/ http://nobulb.com/2011/05/wanted-an-entry-level-job-that-doe...
- doctoboggan 15y ago
  Thank you for all the links, I will certainly check them out. It is hard for me to stop second guessing myself, as I always like to be certain of my decisions before I act. Maybe I just need to jump sometimes.
  - mikegreenberg 15y ago
    As someone who also over-analyses, I completely understand. Don't let analysis-paralysis get you!

drcode 15y ago

My unsolicited 5 cents: In order to become a founder on a startup it would help if you had confidence in your skill set, and it sounds like you're not at that point yet. I would get an office job and continue to develop my skill set with self study- It's helpful to know what it's like working at a real office, so why not try it for a year or two? If, within the next one or two years, you can avoid acquiring a mortgage/wife/child, AND can improve your skill set, you might be able to afford the risk that a startup entails.

doctoboggan 15y ago
Thanks for the advice. I have worked for the Air Force Research Lab for the last 4 summers, so I do have somewhat of a taste of office life. This is partly the reason why I do not want a standard office job.

georgieporgie 15y ago

I've known plenty of programmers at small and startup companies who were EE grads. I don't think you're at any significant disadvantage versus a recent CS grad.

mikegreenberg 15y ago

First, stop second guessing yourself. (You did it at least three times in your question.) Second, CARPE DIEM! (Seize the day.) You will NEVER have the same freedom tomorrow that you have today. (Figuratively speaking.) Time and responsibilities have a way of accumulating over time and now, when your time is your own and the world is at your feet, is when you should be experiencing life even if you're not certain of your direction. It's said that "time is wasted on the young and wisdom is wasted on the old". I realize it's hard to know what the right direction is and making the right choices ultimately means a "leg-up" against the competition. But honestly, the competitive spectrum is WIDE and there's plenty of room for someone to rise to the top no matter how late in the game they make it. So don't worry to much about this. As far as your personal situation, i almost did the Air Force thing and I've gone through their OTS summer programs. I'd argue that their office jobs are NOTHING like the private sector. If you're eager to try out the startup game, there are people hiring like crazy right now and I'm positive you could land any of them (even as an intern). Express your desire. Drop the uncertainty act. Try it out and see. Here's an intern gig in NY that I HIGHLY recommend: http://www.skillshare.com/careers/jobs http://www.skillshare.com/careers/jobs Here's a great intern site for a bunch of startups all over the country (still young and might not have stuff in your immediate area): http://www.internmatch.com/ http://www.internmatch.com/ And in the way of getting that first job, here's a post I wrote for someone who was in a slightly similar situation: http://nobulb.com/2011/05/wanted-an-entry-level-job-that-doesnt-suck/ http://nobulb.com/2011/05/wanted-an-entry-level-job-that-doe...

doctoboggan 15y ago
Thank you for all the links, I will certainly check them out. It is hard for me to stop second guessing myself, as I always like to be certain of my decisions before I act. Maybe I just need to jump sometimes.
- mikegreenberg 15y ago
  As someone who also over-analyses, I completely understand. Don't let analysis-paralysis get you!