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Ask HN: Should I talk to clients before taking a full time job?

7 points by dsmithn ↗ HN
I am a recent grad doing part time work on the side for a small startup and they are now offering me a full time position. I have a comfortable internship with a large corporation that I would have to leave.

I know very little about the startup. Should I talk to the clients I have been working with "off the record" to see how they feel about the company? Is that a good indicator of a good work environment?

Is any full time position better than an internship?

Thanks for any advice!

5 comments

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danvoell
My first advice is follow whichever position you are most passionate about.

All else equal, I assume you can get another corporate internship if this startup doesn't work out. In the meantime, you will probably get a wealth of experience. If what you want most is a job at the corporation walk in the door and tell them you are going to take this other job unless they give you a job and see what they say, if they can't commit to you now, there is no telling when they will commit to you in the future.

dsmithn
I'm trying to build up the courage to speak with my boss :)

The problem is I don't want to make them think I'm leaving until I'm sure I would take the full time position.

danvoell
Good Luck. Based on the fact that you have two options means you are better than a majority of the workers out there. I left corporate work 6 years and never looked back. You will land on your feet no matter what. Follow your heart.
AngeloAnolin
For a recent graduate like you, I think a startup would provide you the best opportunity to learn, expand, network, and make a niche to something you have the passion at.

Talking with the clients to gauge how they feel about the company could be a good aid in your decision making, but ultimately, you would never know unless you actually jump right into it.

It is quite hard to compare a full time position with an internship based on a lot of factors which satisfies your requirements. Some people may find internship better than full time salaried positions because they find the latter more enjoyable and goes in line with their values in life.

Good luck on your decision. You should be able to make the right choice.

dsmithn
Yeah, I think my end game is building my own startup so I am definitely leaning towards getting some first hand experience with a smaller company. It's just I have quite a bit of job security with my internship (basically until I choose to leave) so it makes me a bit nervous to give that up. Typical problem, I know.