As a Product Designer in the beginning of my career what would set me up for the best career success? Option 1: Large Tech company (think Google/FB) at their HQ - Entry Level Option 2: mid-sized, well funded startup in a somewhat more live-able city, much smaller tech scene - Senior Designer with opportunity to lead a new design team ... Beyond compensation and benefit packages, how would you evaluate the two opportunities?
Fang. Dont even think. Most startups wont add any value to your resume. Fang will. You can fang now and startup later, cant do the other way round. In general, startups usually turtle.
Come on, a lot of companies out of FANG will make a good resume
Always get best advice on blind. Thank you Trim.
I prefer startups, because you have more influence and things don't move at a glacial pace like they do in the big bureaucratic companies. But if you're just starting out, it's probably good to get some experience at a big one sooner or later. You'll be working the rest of your life. You'll have plenty of time to try both. One crucial thing about startups: make sure you have a good amount of savings to last at least 6 months. 9/10 startups fail eventually. But they can also be very rewarding and teach you about all aspects of running a business very quickly.
FANG. No question. There’s plenty of work to do and you get a better sense of how things work. Yes you can learn a lot at some startups, but not all. You can learn plenty about failure and fucking up anywhere you go.
Also, keep in mind who's answering here. Everyone from the big companies are telling you to work at the big companies, "no question." Make sure to correct for survivorship bias.
This is a fair point, but I came from the small company and startup world and had long wanted to be at one of the major firms. Having experienced both now, I definitely urge going to a big company—but you have to challenge the hell out of yourself for it to be worthwhile. Going and coasting isn’t worth much.
@middleWest what are some of the reasons you love a larger company? (Beyond benefits and comp)
How do you know that your Sr designer skill set and experience at startup = Jr designer at FANG?
FANG without a doubt