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Ask HN: Is 25 too old to get your first job at a startup?

5 points by vonklaus ↗ HN
I live in Los Angeles and I don't have a ton of prior work experience. I worked at a PE type shop for ~8 months and then started pursuing a skillset in technology. I have a BS in Economics and minors in Marketing & Biz Admin (so not tech related at all). I taught myself html/css/sass and am pretty capable with JS and JQuery. I am doing a 3 month bootcamp so I can polish my skills and learn Ruby and about a few different databases. When people come out of these bootcamps they end up working at small web dev shops and frankly that isn't very compelling to me. I want to work for a start up but am worried I am too old for entry level and possibly won't have the right skillset. Anyone have experience interviewing or hiring someone like this?

19 comments

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Blackthorn
It's not too old, but I'm not sure why you would want to.
vonklaus
I think my options will be constrained to web dev shops or start ups. I worked at a start-up private equity shop and got a ton of exposure to all of the business. I think it is a great place to work because you do a little of everything and therefore you learn a lot really quickly.

edit: conversely, where would you start out?

Blackthorn
I understand that this might go against the grain for the site I'm posting this on, but startup culture is all about founders abusing their employees and getting wealthy off their hard work. There are startups that aren't like that, but you have to know the warning signs of what to watch out for to avoid it. Given that understanding, I don't see why you'd want to throw yourself into the blender.
vonklaus
i have worked for a start-up and feel like I was taken advantage of. However, if I could extract a reasonable paycheck I would love to work at one for ~6 months (if it was a decent opportunity) because you learn so much that if I could survive on the paycheck, the learning experience would be worth it as a first job. You also work on multiple projects so you have a few deliverables to point to on exit. Instead of saying, me and 5 people made a trivial change to some widget you get to actually contribute a lot more because there is a low power distance between supervisors, and a lot more work to go around with many less people to do it.
occupybourbonst
This has to be a joke right?

At 25, you are young enough to do anything.

vonklaus
I don't mean pity me I'm old. I mean for a first job is it going to be difficult to get hired at 25 with a pretty entry level skillset. I would prefer to work at a start up but I am going to be applying to jobs in 3 months. I want to source out some targets and am trying to ascertain where I will likely be able to get the most traction.
hashtag
Age isn't the problem. It's whether or not you have the skills necessary for hire
vonklaus
right. That is the worry. I am only going to have a portfolio of 4-5 things, and a basic skill-set. I am just going to work really hard over the next 4 months and by that time I hopefully will get to a place where I feel comfortable working with the technologies I am studying.
recalibrator
Look at your other abilities that can add value for people. The goal is to be a linchpin. Indispensable. With only basic programming skills, you need to add other intangibles to the mix.
AznHisoka
Then the right question to ask would be: "Am I good enough to join a startup?".
yowza
No, I joined a startup at age 30. You will just have to accept that younger people may be better at you.
eswat
Startups are going to look at how you improve their condition and whether you can do it consistently, not what year you were born in, especially at 25.

I know it’s just a question but it seems you’re making a big deal out of nothing. Just start applying while building up work. If you get no favourable replies it’s because you haven’t displayed what value you can bring to those companies yet, but it won’t because you’re a “late bloomer”.

vonklaus
thanks. I don't have a ton of previous work experience so I am just going to build a really good portfolio and then market myself and my abilities in the best way I can for each company.I also don't mean is 25 too old, i mean is 25 too old for what will essentially be my literal first job. Cheers.
techjuice
Your never too old to join a start up. Want to give yourself an edge above the competition go to Amazon and purchase current physical books on Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, jQuery, HTML5 CSS3, etc. that you have an interest in. PDFs/EPUBs and other digital content is nice but those physical books and their size will help remind you that you have some serious work to do. As your start to finish each book faster and faster you will have actual produced work you can use for your personal resume that you have created and customized from your newly learned skills. When you have mastered what was in those books you can look back at the thousands and thousands of pages and go wow I know all that by heart, oh man how far I have come.

Bootcamps are a nice general overview but will not take you to the level of mastery that you will get from books created by experts in their field. You may even get a book or few from a master in their field (David Heinemeier Hannson for Ruby on RAILS, Dennis Ritchie for C, Bjarne Stroustrup for C++, Brendan Eich for JavaScript, John Resig for jQuery, etc.).

If you don't want the average Joe Nobody job you have to put in the work to gain mastery of your craft. Don't worry about the money it will come the closer you get to mastery as your skills will be extremely sought after by those wanting ( and needing ) your help and services solving unsolved real world business/technical problems.

You do have to start somewhere; that can be working for someone or working for yourself (recommend end game). All that marketing and business skills you put all that time into learning comes in very helpful in a business, especially those that want to market their products and services. Nothing better than someone with experience in those business units but also knows technology. I would recommend working on product development while working through your road to learning.

If you can build a few production quality products and have active users engaging in them that will skyrocket your chances with joining a start up. Who knows one might just reach out to you, without you having to try and find them. Your confidence in your abilities seem to be low at this current point but that will fade away as time goes on as you start to master certain aspects of the languages.

Key here is you want to insure that you have something excellent to offer to anyone that you are trying to be employed by or if you are going to start a business and work for yourself. Think of a start up as your first business client, what mastered skills, qualities and services can you offer them to make them and yourself better.

jagawhowho
Even the <foreign country> resumes with false ages put down 27-30. Any ageism against 25 will be of the too-young variety.
MalcolmDiggs
Your energy and willingness to learn mean quite a bit; your calendar age does not. A 20 year old with a couple kids, a wife to go home to, a mortgage and a ton of student loan debt might have serious concerns about the startup life.... while a 40 year old single woman with no dependents might find it suits her well.

Will startup life take a lot of your time and energy? Absolutely yes. But if you have that energy to give, then you're good. Just try not to be to starry eyed: The company is probably going to fail, you're probably going to be overworked and underpaid, and you'll probably get in more than a couple fights with your coworkers. But some people (like me) love that kinda stuff. Whatever works for you.