My pre-startup career was in advertising (before the dominance of social networks) where salaries were quite competitive and the creative atmosphere made you fo

My pre-startup career was in advertising (before the dominance of social networks) where salaries were quite competitive and the creative atmosphere made you forget the ad biz was still corporate America. Another huge benefit was complete technical autonomy: so long as you met deadlines, they didn’t micromanage (because they lacked the domain expertise). I imagine corporate lawyers outside of law firms have a similar experience. All in all, trading the prestige for autonomy, greater work/life balance, and slightly less pay was well worth it. Update: two more advantages… 1. Technical interviews are far less grueling. Fewer applications mean a more personal and realistic interview process. 2. More stability through the business cycle. A small engineering department in a medium to large company is more likely to weather layoffs than a Big Tech firm looking to cut costs.