4 ms·
You do learn lots of good things at companies, but you can also learn bad habits -- you can acquire a predilection for long meetings, acquire a taste for politi
by seldo 13y ago
You do learn lots of good things at companies, but you can also learn bad habits -- you can acquire a predilection for long meetings, acquire a taste for political point-scoring over (more difficult, less fun) compromise, and a default position of creating process over improving communication. Those things are survival skills at a big company, but very bad for small ones. The trick is to identify which of the skills you're picking up are good or bad and using them appropriately when you strike out on your own.
- bmj1 13y agoExcellent point - I find the long meetings aren't such a difficult thing to avoid - but certainly politics and unnecessary process have no place in a startup. The other big lesson I learnt, the hidden cost of complexity, and importance of keeping things simple (I don't think you can get this until you meet the real world): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6331082 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6331082 (just submitted to HN, realised it hadn't been shared yet)
- namenotrequired 13y agoIt had: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5914209 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5914209 :)
- bmj1 13y agoapologies - well it was a damn good article :)
- namenotrequired 13y agoCertainly!
- nostrademons 13y agoAre those really survival skills at a big company? I make a point about skipping meetings that aren't specifically scheduled with me (many other top engineers at my employer do), I get basically nowhere without compromise, and I usually prefer to disseminate information rather than create process.