Ask HN: Should I work at a startup? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Should I work at a startup?

3 pointsscottfarcas8 comments

Throwaway acct...

I'm a well-rounded developer. I'm good with people and I've managed to snag a ton of well-paying work for myself in the freelance world. This is highly convenient for freeing up time to spend with new young family.

And then I get a call about an opportunity to work at this awesome company. They're new, but doing really well. Lots of funding, growth, and revenue. The role suits my skills well. The company's offering is killer, and I could stand to become very rich as they become very rich.

We've really hit it off and I'm meeting again with the company's brass soon. I'm expecting an offer shortly thereafter.

I've never worked at a startup. I'm a little concerned about work hours (40-50 hours sounds less appetizing compared to lazy 25-30 very well paid freelance hours). But the truth is, I'm young (20's) and I don't feel like I've been super intellectually stimulated yet in the workplace. I'm thinking this gig could deliver it, along with other outlined pros.

This all happens on the same day Jeff Atwood chucks the deuce, like "I'm leaving to go hang with my kids more."

With these things in mind:

1. Broadly, should I take it? 2. What specific questions should I ask in order to flesh this out better?

It's possible to balance personal life and startup life. It takes focus, but it's definitely feasible.

It sounds like you're very excited by the prospect of joining the startup. Do it.

Make it clear to the founders that you won't miss your kids' bedtime day after day just to meet deadlines- good engineers are fulfilled and well rested engineers, and good founders will understand that. In the startup I work at, we actually tell each other to go home and get some rest/downtime if we notice others staying late too many days in a row.

Sure, some nights you might have to stay a bit late because you just launched a product and have urgent bugs to fix- this is startup life after all (but you can always do that remotely when the kids are in bed). But conversely, it should give you the flexibility to leave early to spend extra time with your family when times are a bit less hectic.

Make sure you're clear on the terms with the founders, and you should be fine :)

I think you nailed it. Client work (my familiar stomping grounds) lives and breathes by managing expectations and clear communication. And this holds true for just about every aspect of life. If we're both clear on what to expect from eachother, and it's a good fit, then it's going to work out awesome.

I am excited, thank you for the encouragement. :)

I think you need to know things about both yourself and the company before you can make a decision like this.

Questions about yourself: * Are you willing to sacrifice your free time and family time for your job?

* Can you get things done, even if it's not so clean?

* When crunch mode hits, how will you keep yourself centered? (e.g. exercise)

Questions about the company:

* What is the expected work schedule, and does it fit your life?

* How are they funded, do they have a revenue stream?

* What is the 1, 3, and 5 year plan for the company?

* Does your compensation include equity?

Hope this helps,

Matthew

All very good questions. My responses to a few:

- The higher-up technical roles are pretty well fleshed out, so unless somebody dips out, it seems difficult for me to move 'up' (which isn't to say I can't advance diagonally, so to speak). This ties directly into the longer term company plan, and how I fit in, and I have heard a few intriguing ideas here in talking to employees.

- Revenue is definitely coming in... curious to find out what the funding/revenue split looks like. Equity is up for grabs, subject to negotiation.

Excellent comments, I'm taking notes now. Thank you Matthew.

1. It depends on the startup. If it's the kind where the founders are busting hump developing next to you, then you should have no problem. If it's the kind where the "founders" are always busy expensing their lifestyles and spending weeks worrying about what the logo and corporate color scheme will be, then maybe look elsewhere.

2. How did you come up with the logo? (super expensive agency?) Are any/all the founders developers. How do you feel about X? If you hear stuff like (X is shit, we only use Apple here) you're maybe looking at a Entertainment 720! type place.

The founders have dev chops. I saw equal hump busting taking place when I visited their office. That gives me a lot of confidence.

Take it!

I'm leaning toward yes. :) Thanks for your input.

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