To echo akg, I've also been in experiences where the boss and team make the experience great. It's great if you like working on small tasks that are truly dynam

To echo akg, I've also been in experiences where the boss and team make the experience great. It's great if you like working on small tasks that are truly dynamic. Sometimes, getting paged allows me to get my head clear of your normal responsibilities. I kind of use the pages as a nice refresher for my regular work. However, personal preference. To comment on one of akg's points, the length of the schedule rotation can actually be a problem. Longer than 6-8, and you are then very detatched from the operational issues your team is having. Make sure you link up with the previous primary to get the run down on anything (and maybe even the person who was primary before her). You definitely want to get more familiar with the team you will be rotating with, but: 1: Do not fear escalating to secondary / asking for help when you need it. While getting paged sucks, every team I've been on this has been one of the biggest guidelines. We would rather someone ask for help sooner, than do something they are unsure of / delay fixing something. 2 (More like an extension of akg's #6): This is something to clear with your boss, but when I'm on call I also try to put the engineering effort in to fix alarms that are less than ideal. If I get paged at 3AM for some bullshit reason, I will spend the time the next day to make it alert when there is something actionable to be done. If you are at a startup it's probably unlikely you'll be reimbursed for your cell phone (receiving calls). However, they should have provisions for mobile internet. Using your personal cell phone for work-related activities could have interesting legal implications. If the company is getting investigated, your personal phone could (in theory) be included as work-related things have gone through it. I've been on pager duty for a few years now. I've no regrets. However, I'm sure there's one day in my life where I'll be over it. Best advice I can give while on call: keep calm and have fun.