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Need career advice: which job should I take?

7 points by nyc_throwaway ↗ HN
Throwaway account and I've tried to avoid giving details of specific companies. Here's my situation:

I have two job offers in front of me, both for startups in NY. I am a software engineer that has been working in the industry for about 5 years.

#1

Very early stage, seed-funded start-up. I would be joining along with two or three other engineers. My role wouldn't be as clearly defined as in #2; I would be working with this founding team to build out the product.

The company is building something in the social media space (which I'm not crazy about). I have some doubts about the viability of the idea and the future prospects of this company. However, the founders are both impressive guys who I would like to work with. One is a successful entrepreneur with one previous exit, and the other is a very strong engineer with a really impressive resume. They have expressed to me the intent to hire a really strong engineering team, and I believe they will.

Opportunity would probably have me growing into new areas/technologies. I would be apart of building something from the ground up.

#2

Also early-stage start-up, but slightly further along. Was founded < 1yr ago and the business is already picking up speed. They are looking to do Series A in the coming months.

The company is in the FinTech world and is also a consumer-focused product. I would be joining the team to own a specific part of the platform and have a role/title that makes this very well-defined.

The team is about 5 engineers already. The founders have backgrounds in finance; two of them are previous entrepreneurs with successful exits as well.

This job is paying about 10% more than the second.

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The equity stake I would receive is the same percent of each company. Which job should I take? Which job will be better for my career long term?

9 comments

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bmuursh
In my opinion it depends partly how your finances look at the moment. If you're scraping by then, assuming all else is equal, I'd go for the money. That said if money isn't an issue for whatever reason then I would go for the job which is most interesting for you. Which job has a role more focused on your interests or plans?

Where ever you work you'll learn new skills even if some environments promote it a little more. You also have free time if there is a specific skill set you want to master.

nyc_throwaway
Thanks for this advice. In either case I'd be paid enough to be comfortable, but I wonder if passing up the pay bump will put me further behind in my career. I'd like to get to the pay level in job #2, and I fear working at #1 will slow down my progress toward that salary.

On the other hand, I think job #1 will have more interesting challenges (building out a new product from scratch), but I don't like the space or business as much (social media).

Nothing about this choice seems easy or straightforward to me and I'm so worried about making the wrong decision and regretting this.

bmuursh
Personally I'd probably go for job #1 with the more interesting and challenging work. If the work truly is challenging then you should be able to build a strong skill set that will enable you to move onto #2-esque opportunities in the future. You should also take other things into consideration, do you get better benefits (you're in the states so health care should of importance to you), time off, et al...

Which team do you prefer, remember you will spend a lot of time with them, make sure you get along. You mentioned a "strong engineer"; from what you've said I guess you plan to learn from him. If that is the case then make sure you get along well with him in particular. Can you contact people who have worked with them before? Find out what they're truly like...

brudgers
My take is that there isn't a wrong decision. Both sound like reasonable opportunities. Each has a slightly different risk profile. Each has slightly different soft upsides.

I don't think 10% is going to affect salary over the long term. The market rate is going to have far more effect.

JSeymourATL
> building something in the social media space (which I'm not crazy about). I have some doubts about the viability of the idea and the future prospects of this company.

Being able to buy into the company's near/long term vision is vital for start-up life. That vision gives you juice!

Areas to consider-- which role will provide greater career leverage 24-36 months from now? Which role will truly stretch you professionally?

dyeje
#2 sounds like a safer / better bet to me. They're more established, they'll pay you more, you don't have doubts about their viability, and they're closer to actually turning your equity into something valuable.

#1 sounds like you just want to build some from scratch. While I understand the appeal of that, I wouldn't make a career decision based on it.

Zelmor
I would go with second offer. Looks to be an overall better deal, especially if youbare not hyped about social media stuff. I consider these bubble companies. Everyone living ofd eqch other's platforms, integrating services and offering little that is fresh or truly useful.

Fintech is solid. Wish I worked there.

liquidcool
The finance domain, esp. in NYC, puts you on a much higher lifetime income trajectory.

If the role is well defined, that means you know how to succeed. If the tech is modern and sought after (and it damn well better be at a startup), that will position you well for your next job.

Biggest concern is if you think #2 has a weak engineering team and that with just 5 years exp. you'd be the strongest engineer with nobody to learn from. That would be a red flag. Otherwise, seems like a clear win.