Pros
My previous job was at a Fortune 50 tech company. After a couple years of an easy life, I realized my day to day impact was minimal and the speed in which I was learning grinded to a halt. I intentionally left that life for the opportunity to keep pushing myself and learn as fast as I can, while I can. This is a genuine start up atmosphere, not your cushy tech job. The impact and importance of your responsibilities are obvious on the very first day, and they continue to change and grow as with many start ups. The founders are experienced with past successes and have a solid and achievable vision for where the company will be in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years. They value intelligence, technical and business acumen, hard work, and delivery which is refreshing compared to a bureaucratic corporate atmosphere. What I've experienced and learned here in a few months easily outpaced what I would have learned if I stayed another year or two at my previous company.
Cons
- Being top 100 for a small start up isn't easy, so crunch hours can be tough.
- Responsibilities can put you in a sink or swim environment.
- "Move fast or die" can have both ups and down sides.
- Not great for those that want a cushy job and don't care for the vision. Bottom line, it really isn't for everyone.
