>>As a college student, a lot of engineers tell me how much they learnt while working at a startup etc, but is it even worth it if legitimate problem-solving st

>>As a college student, a lot of engineers tell me how much they learnt while working at a startup etc, but is it even worth it if legitimate problem-solving startups are failing like this? Is this model of being funded millions of dollars and then failing worth it? Is this a bubble thats going to burst some day and people will realize the we've just been illogical all the way along? I can't say one way or another what Square's future is, but I know the the knowledge gained from working in start-ups is _priceless_ in this engineering tech field. Assuming you don't have people depending[1] on you, the earlier you have this experience the better off you'll be. After earning my BSCS I wasted[2] nearly 6 years in a ridiculous situation with a big corp. Next, is Square really solving a real problem? This[3] is a real problem being solved, imho. The credit card swiping with smartphone/tablet thing I think is just a extremely handy convenience, but still a convenience. Also, as other comments have pointed out, in the next year or 2 there will probably be a huge shift to cards with embedded chips thus magstripe readers will be of limited usefulness. 1. Spouse/children/aging-parents. That's a personal decision; but even then I'd still argue that if you can find anyway to go for it while minimizing the worse-case scenario of things-not-working-out... do it. 2. No experience is truly a waste. If nothing else, I learned to identify when I'm getting played a fool in a dead-end, high-politics job of low career value. It won't take me 6 years to figure it out if it happens again. 3. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gravitylight-lighting-for-developing-countries#home https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gravitylight-lighting-for...