Ask HN: If I cant code, what else can I do in a startup as a recent grad? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: If I cant code, what else can I do in a startup as a recent grad?

5 pointsquotz11 comments

Hello all, I cant code but I wanna get into startups that are 10+ people big. Sales Development Representative roles are incredibly demotivating. Are there any other roles that a worthwhile?

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Why is sales demotivating? If the product and market are right, it should be exciting. I love sales because it's like talking to fans.

Designers are often needed very early. Pay might be a little low early on.

Product is also vital but often management/founder tier that early on.

Testers are often vital in the early stage, sometimes second or third employee. It's not all bashing buttons. Testers often follow the sales team and act as customer service. It's important to understand UX/customer flow and can be an entry point to Product.

+1 - if the SDR role is demotivating, it just might not be the right fit for you, or the product isn't compelling

I would say the general areas are sales, marketing, product, engineering, design, customer support, and people ops. The thing is these areas entire areas are usually covered by a single person in small startups, so there aren't many entry level positions available. I think you should be aiming for 40+ people startups where there are more entry level positions available.

Learning html css and js was the best decision I ever made for enjoying projects, life, and my career.

Download notepad++, open google chrome and w3 schools, and learn how to display text on a page.

Shortly thereafter you will be qualified for web dev positions if you are motivated and practice self-learning techniques :)

High energy high quality generalists are always in demand. Maybe get your foot in the door, like SDR or Tech Writing, and then work hard to break out of that into something more interesting. That happens all the time where I work.

Product Management. On some level, _everyone_ at the company is involved with product. It's at the intersection of virtually every department (engineering, sales, design, research, etc), but is incredibly demanding :)

In my early days I used to sit out behind the office and burn cash in a barrel where the Japanese business men took seemingly constant smoke breaks - this was before I asked my boss for a bizdev position

To better refine the answer - why do you want to join an early-stage startup?

Founder

recent grad of what?

digital marketing (SEO, paid search)

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