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Having worked in both startups funded by VC's (or wishing to be), and for businesses not part of that, the primary difference is in the attitude towards boring

Having worked in both startups funded by VC's (or wishing to be), and for businesses not part of that, the primary difference is in the attitude towards boring technology. Main Street is not really any better at seeing through hype cycles than anyone else, but they are less up-to-date on what is currently hyped, and they also are more likely to think that they hired the programmer to make technical decisions, rather than wanting to make those technical decisions themselves. They have other (often equally technical) decisions to concentrate on, in different areas, so they are wanting you to just Make It Work. The downside is they are unimpressed with refactoring, updating to new versions, and the like. The upside is they are ok with you using boring technology that works, even at times when a VC-backed tech company would insist on something new and overcomplicated. Also, the pay is ok, but honestly it's not going to be as high as in VC-backed employers.

AbstractH24 1y ago
That's mostly what I've come to expect. One thing I think you added, though, is that there's a greater expectation to be the expert in the room. Any advice on taking the best parts of working at VC-backed startups (outside of comp) and applying them to roles on Main Street?
- dsr_ 1y ago
  Version control! Testing! Deployment with a user-acceptance stage! A commitment to tracking bugs and solving them prior to new features! Talking to end-users after the first roll-out! Some or all of those will come as a surprise to the people you are working for.
  - rossdavidh 1y ago
    This is all true. It is also my experience that Main Street is willing to let you institute a low-cost solution to any of these, as long as it doesn't require them to do much (which, often, it does not).
al_borland 1y ago
This was my experience, until a bunch of startups tried to come after the boring business I work for. They’ve since brought in a bunch of new people who brought hype cycles with them, and have pushed out the boring and stable solutions, in favor of more complicated trends that need to be migrated or re-written every couple years. My job satisfaction has dropped dramatically. I found meaning in the boring stuff. The hyped solutions that will be thrown out in a year feel so meaningless. This is all to say that not all Main Street businesses will appreciate the boring solutions. And if they do right now, things can and will likely shift at some point.
crystal_revenge 1y ago
> Also, the pay is ok, but honestly it's not going to be as high as in VC-backed employers. This, for me, has always been the deal breaker in moving out of VC-funded tech. Leaving corporate tech jobs is already a big enough hit to TC. Getting out of VC-funded tech very often means a dramatic change in life style. The VC world might be insane, but so is the comp. It's not just the money. The biggest thing I've notice in my career is that, as a general rule, employers value you (or any resource for that matter) in proportion to how much they pay for you. Often people have the illusion that getting paid $80k a year when you used to make $300k will mean that your employer will recognize that you are a tremendous value. They won't. they'll see you and treat you as a low tier worker that can easily be replaced, has timed breaks and 30 minutes for lunch.
- neilv 1y ago
  > Often people have the illusion that getting paid $80k a year when you used to make $300k will mean that your employer will recognize that you are a tremendous value. They won't. Sounds like the folk wisdom that, by default, employers/clients tend to only value you how much they're paying you. If they had to pay a lot extra for you, the wisdom goes, they will imagine that you must have been worth it, and will take you more seriously. If they paid bargain basement price for you, well, I suppose the same psychology applies. (I was reminded of this folk wisdom last week, by a couple hints in an interview. It's a bit tricky to filter out startup employers who only want midrange commodity skillsets, when you're willing to take a lower salary in exchange for meaningful equity. While many of them are thinking of workers as generic commodities (and necessary evils, to the real stars who are the founders), and valuing these hires based on salary they are willing to entertain.)
- itsme0000 1y ago
  Might be true most places, but I’m paid 80k and essentially report to no one and do next nothing 10 months of the year with no real supervision or expectation. My employer struggles to find people with my exact stack who doesn’t expect over 100k. If you follow American football it’s often said the best job on the team is the back-up Quarterback. Because they sit on the bench all year and still get to get a sizable check considering. Pretty much the position I find myself in.
benoau 1y ago
> the attitude towards boring technology PTSD flashback of nobody having heard of Redis.

AbstractH24 1y ago

That's mostly what I've come to expect. One thing I think you added, though, is that there's a greater expectation to be the expert in the room. Any advice on taking the best parts of working at VC-backed startups (outside of comp) and applying them to roles on Main Street?

dsr_ 1y ago
Version control! Testing! Deployment with a user-acceptance stage! A commitment to tracking bugs and solving them prior to new features! Talking to end-users after the first roll-out! Some or all of those will come as a surprise to the people you are working for.
- rossdavidh 1y ago
  This is all true. It is also my experience that Main Street is willing to let you institute a low-cost solution to any of these, as long as it doesn't require them to do much (which, often, it does not).

al_borland 1y ago

This was my experience, until a bunch of startups tried to come after the boring business I work for. They’ve since brought in a bunch of new people who brought hype cycles with them, and have pushed out the boring and stable solutions, in favor of more complicated trends that need to be migrated or re-written every couple years. My job satisfaction has dropped dramatically. I found meaning in the boring stuff. The hyped solutions that will be thrown out in a year feel so meaningless. This is all to say that not all Main Street businesses will appreciate the boring solutions. And if they do right now, things can and will likely shift at some point.

crystal_revenge 1y ago

> Also, the pay is ok, but honestly it's not going to be as high as in VC-backed employers. This, for me, has always been the deal breaker in moving out of VC-funded tech. Leaving corporate tech jobs is already a big enough hit to TC. Getting out of VC-funded tech very often means a dramatic change in life style. The VC world might be insane, but so is the comp. It's not just the money. The biggest thing I've notice in my career is that, as a general rule, employers value you (or any resource for that matter) in proportion to how much they pay for you. Often people have the illusion that getting paid $80k a year when you used to make $300k will mean that your employer will recognize that you are a tremendous value. They won't. they'll see you and treat you as a low tier worker that can easily be replaced, has timed breaks and 30 minutes for lunch.

neilv 1y ago
> Often people have the illusion that getting paid $80k a year when you used to make $300k will mean that your employer will recognize that you are a tremendous value. They won't. Sounds like the folk wisdom that, by default, employers/clients tend to only value you how much they're paying you. If they had to pay a lot extra for you, the wisdom goes, they will imagine that you must have been worth it, and will take you more seriously. If they paid bargain basement price for you, well, I suppose the same psychology applies. (I was reminded of this folk wisdom last week, by a couple hints in an interview. It's a bit tricky to filter out startup employers who only want midrange commodity skillsets, when you're willing to take a lower salary in exchange for meaningful equity. While many of them are thinking of workers as generic commodities (and necessary evils, to the real stars who are the founders), and valuing these hires based on salary they are willing to entertain.)
itsme0000 1y ago
Might be true most places, but I’m paid 80k and essentially report to no one and do next nothing 10 months of the year with no real supervision or expectation. My employer struggles to find people with my exact stack who doesn’t expect over 100k. If you follow American football it’s often said the best job on the team is the back-up Quarterback. Because they sit on the bench all year and still get to get a sizable check considering. Pretty much the position I find myself in.

benoau 1y ago

> the attitude towards boring technology PTSD flashback of nobody having heard of Redis.