Ask HN: Career path for founder of a failed venture backed startup?

Have you considered going back to finish your degree? If you think you might want to finish it at some point, the sooner the better, because it will only become more difficult to go back to an academic environment. Also, school could give you a chance to step back and "relax" while you figure out your next play.

I've been thinking about my prospects in 5 years and finishing up school is on my radar. What exactly is the process for this? Do I roll into Stanford with burnt VC cash in hand, looking for a degree?

I strongly suggest doing this sooner rather than later.

Not only for the reason teuobk noted, but because many schools have a time limit on how long they'll consider a credit valid towards graduation.

I've known a few people in this situation. If you're feeling completely burned out, you might want to chill out and travel around for a few weeks (or whatever) to clear your head. After that:

- If you want, go back and get your degree (it only gets harder as you get older)

- Do an entrepreneur-in-residence gig (instead of an associate.) From what I've seen, EIRs do anything from hanging out and shooting the shit all day (i.e. very little) to reviewing investments/networking/helping portfolio companies to actively incubating their next idea (or a bunch of ideas simultaneously)

- Join a growing startup that is past the ramen-fueled-fight-for-survival frenzy, which might be a good balance of upside vs expected value. A lot of former YC founders do this if their companies don't work out. As a current venture-backed founder/CEO, I can say with certainty that your startup experience would be highly valued.

- Join Google, Microsoft, or Facebook, check your dreams at the door, and ride out comfortably into a middle-aged sunset (I kid, I kid.)

Feel free to email me at drew at dropbox[dot]com if you want stories or intros to people who have been through this.

I had a similar experience. I'm also 26. Are you in the Bay Area? It doesn't matter, though I'd love to meet in person.

Drop me an email at M8R-c9rbgg@mailinator.com and let's talk.

Maybe you guys could get together and start a new company!

Go back to school and finish what you started. It will be harder later, and you don't want to spend your life justifying why you don't have a degree.

Not sure on Google, but I know first hand that Microsoft will hire without a college degree. All depends on what your skill set is and how well you can sell yourself to them.

On the other hand, I would recommend going back to finish your degree if you can afford to. While getting a technology job without a degree is not all that difficult, the degree will only help you in the long run and can be the make or break difference between two candidates with some companies. It is also can be seen as a sign that you follow through and complete tasks at hand.

Trust me though, going from a startup environment to "corporate" America can be a bit daunting. While you say you want a slower pace, when confronted with that slower pace you will probably start to pull your hair out. I would recommend going to a startup, if you are not in a founder/cofounder role you will find it to be a lot slower while at the same time the enjoyable fast pace of a startup environment.

My best recommendation would be to complete your degree part-time while working for a startup.

Google will value your startup experience. As long as you can prove your problem-solving and programming skills in the job interview, you will get a job offer as a Google software engineer.

If you're considering Google, you should also check out software engineering and business development jobs at Palantir Technologies. We have similar perks and compensation, top-notch engineers, and lots of interesting problems to solve.

http://www.palantirtech.com/careers/positions

Contact me. bijan.pourriahi@gmail.com

I have an idea for you

What do you want to do? You can definitely go to one of the bigger companies - which is a great way to network till your next startup idea hits, and there's also the EIR gig that's been talked about here a little bit slightly better than being an associate.

You have plenty of options right now (the market is hot). Some thoughts:

- Take a 2-3 week vacation somewhere else far away from the valley

- Come back and see how you feel afterwards

- http://founderdating.com (not quite what it sounds like)

Don't do the EIR thing. Better to go moonlight for free for a week at companies that seem interesting to you. It's amazing how spending time around a healthy/functional startup will cause you to recover from burnout.

And yes, without a college degree you can work for some of the big guys. As long as you have relevant experience on the resume to fill in the time gap, you'll be fine.

> ...can I go to the big guys (Microsoft, Google, etc?). Can I go become an associate at a VC firm?

If you're interested in these kind of jobs then why not try and get one. If you want to work at Google, apply to Google. If you want to work at a VC company, get in contact with some of them and discuss it with them.

In my experience (of both being an interviewee and an interviewer) a degree helps get you in the door, but it's your ability and experience that decides whether you get the job or not.

Good luck!

Thanks!

For what it's worth, I'm still winding down the startup (and will be for a while ...). I've just started to think about what to do next.

When I know a little more about when I'm leaving, etc, I'm sure I'll start pushing more aggressively on things I'm interested in. I just don't really know what's available/feasible since I don't have many precedents to work off of.

I did a three year stint as an associate at a venture firm. Drop a line: c.reese@gmail.com if you'd like perspective.

I have an idea and ongoing project that I'd love to run by you in case you're interested. Drop me an email at petkanics@gmail.com

Once you've failed at one VC-backed startup, it's usually fairly easy to get funding for an infinite string of other failed VC-backed startups. I have quite a few friends with no less than 1/2 dozen startups under their belts over the past 12 years which never profited, and often never brought in revenue. Think of Venture Capital as upper middle-class welfare.

In Europe we don't have this high tolerance for failure. As far as I know, blowing someone's investments here makes you an "investment corpse". If you're in the US, you're real lucky then.

Ironically I know a handful of Europeans & Australians who are working on tanking their 2nd & 3rd US-based VC-backed startups. I wonder if that's because they're un-fundable back home now.

You will be doing another startup.

My experience is that once you have worked for yourself/equity the mere thought of being employed by other people becomes impossible to bear.