I have a job offer from two places: one's a large company (like Google/Microsoft/Amazon) and the other's a startup (about 20 people). The work is pretty similar at both (research-oriented), though there would be a little more engineering at the startup, and the pay is about the same (depending on what you think of stock options at a startup), so the decision is really boiling down to whether I want to work at a corporation or a startup.
I see a couple pros and cons of both (listed below), so I'm curious what other people think.
Pros of corporation:
- More of a '9-5' job, so I have a lot of time to explore thing on my own. (I have projects with friends to play with and a bunch of random stuff I want to learn, like physics and playing the violin.)
- I'd have more people I'd be working with. (Here, I'd be a member of a research-ish team, whereas at the startup, I'd kinda be a one-man research team. So while I'd interact with a lot of people, it would be more to get engineering ideas or general directions to explore, and I wouldn't really have anyone to bounce research/theory ideas off of.)
Cons of corporation:
- The work itself would be the same as the startup, but the environment itself would probably be less fun.
- Fewer people my age.
Pros of startup:
- More fun environment.
- I'd have a more important role (leading a team, rather than being a member of a team).
Cons of startup:
- Probably less time to explore my own things. (Actually, what do Hacker News people think? Do people working at startups usually have a good split between working on their own projects and doing stuff for the startup?)
- Like I mentioned above, I'm very interested in math and theory, and wouldn't have as much interaction with these kind of folks at the startup, as compared with the large company.
Any thoughts?
-- In a labs or research group you get to follow your own interests. I had a lot of fun in my year at HP Labs.
-- Software product development often has smart people and you can have flexibility in what you do. The key is whether you are working with a dozen or two of people or a cast of thousands where you are a pigeon in a hole. The larger the group, the more likely you are a plugin module, stuck in a role, susceptible to offshoring.
-- IT is probably the pits and should be avoided.
If you are looking at a raw startup, you really need to understand the environment. Sure, you get to do lots of things and have a lot of flexibility, but there is a good chance that you will have to work 60 hour weeks. If you aren't prepared for high energy and high commitment, it can take a toll on you and your family. If you are, it can be a hell of a ride. Also take into account of the funding/financial side of the startup or you may find no food on the table. One thing is do NOT go in with the expectation of getting rich, particularly if you are not a founder. Most of the time you won't. Dont take this as a negative, I think startups are more fun than nearly anything else.
Another class to consider is a small fast growing company of 20 to 200 people. It's a lot like a startup, but you can have a life too.