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Working for a startup to strike it rich is about as reasonable a thesis as starting a startup to strike it rich. Both of them are unusual, but not impossible.
by gstar 14y ago
Working for a startup to strike it rich is about as reasonable a thesis as starting a startup to strike it rich.
Both of them are unusual, but not impossible.
Indeed, working for a startup is more sensible than starting one. It's zero risk (you're getting paid), and there's a potentially huge upside. And for career progression, there's nothing like it. People that started as interns at our company are now being paid market rates for jobs that would have been another 5-10 years ahead in their career had they not been in the right place at the right time. Hell, we even relocated one, expenses paid, to the other side of the world.
And if you're the HN type, it's the best place to learn about starting companies, and the fastest way to build a network to help you start and fund your own company.
So by all means, start a startup, but there's NOTHING wrong with working for one - it's way better than a corporate gig.
- philsnow 14y agoIt's not zero risk; startups pay less than market rates and make up (hopefully more than) the difference with equity. The gamble (risk) is that you'll end up with less after 3-5 yeas than if you had just stayed at a BigCo and invested well.
- rjdagost 14y agoTotally disagree on the "zero risk" of being a startup employee. Startups have some benefits for employees but they have a host of negatives as well. Your typical startup employee is going to work more and get paid less than your typical big company employee. In the highly unlikely event that a startup does have a big liquidation event (IPO or a big acquisition), employees get their often diluted equity converted to cash after everyone else- if at all. Then let's think about the risk of going into work and finding that the doors of your unprofitable employer are locked for good because the VCs pulled their remaining cash. You can learn a lot at a startup (I certainly have) but you can also get stuck in your employer's technological niche with knowledge and skills that aren't all that transferable. Then let's cover the fact that being an employee at a startup is often a lot more stressful. Zero risk? No way.
- grosbisou 14y agoI don't see what in everything you said can be defined as a risk. True facts maybe, but risks? And a lot of this can also be said when getting a job in a big company.