I used to dream of startup life… until reality hit me like a ton of bricks 🧱. Equity dilution, unrealistic valuations, burn rates higher than my hopes 📉. It’s been a rollercoaster of hope, burnout, and disappointment 🎢😩.
But hey, at least I’ve gained a ton of experience (silver lining, right?)! 🌟 However, I’ve come to the realization that salary stability might be the way to go for me in my next role 💰.
So, I’ve got an interview today 🤞. Fingers crossed for a better fit and some much-needed positivity! 🍀
Possible solutions for those in a similar boat:
– Consider prioritizing salary over equity in your next role 💸
– Look for mentorship opportunities to grow professionally 🌱
– Evaluate company culture before diving in headfirst 🕵️♀️
Hang in there, fellow startup warriors! 🚀💪 #NewJobNeeded #CareerAdvice #BurnoutBattle
Best of luck with your interview today, and I hope it leads to a much better opportunity!
Slightly nitpicky , but valuations have a very strong basis in reality. They’re based on market demand from VCs to invest in the startup. More demand == higher valuation
I didn’t read everything but wanted to flag that your equity in % will sure be diluted. But your equity in dollar amount will be increased with each funding. You simply can’t prevent dilution.
Good on you for getting an offer that better reflects your worth though
Whoa that’s a lot to take in. 🥲
People strive to work at startups? Mine is a total shitshow and I’m just trying to weather out this economy and switch to something more stable.
I’m surprised that you got into all of that without realizing that everything is a guess and value goes down the shitter fast.
Startup culture is bad, we been saying that on here for ages.
I’ve worked at 4 startups in my long career. I only walked away with equity money from one and after taxes it was $30 grand. Not chump change, but if I did the math on all the years I worked at startups busting my ass I only came out with $3 grand extra per year.
Totally not worth it. Startups are a scam for the worker.
If u are talented enough and a good enough leader, id suggest starting on yourself.
If it means that much to you.
Startups sound horrible unless you’re one of like the first dozen employees
No thanks, I pulled enough 80 hour weeks in grad school when I was working. I’ll take a stable slow company any day
The advice I hear from people who went the start up route, is you should only do a startup if that is intrinsically worth it to you, and the equity & potential windfall should be considered a nice perk, not your major motivation for the role. That is to say, you should only do a start up if you would be willing to do this job even if your equity ends up being worthless. Because if you make the potential windfall your major motivation, you are going to be severely disappointed. In practical terms this means a good start up team will usually be just a few founders who are really excited about the project.
Those podcasts are just VC propaganda lol
Startups have turned into get rich schemes which prey on junior and naive devs who don’t know better. I was one and will never work for an early stage startup again. At the end of the day, the only thing startups can give is experience which is invaluable as well. Most people I know hopped after a few years in a startup to big tech because they couldn’t get in right out of graduation. If you’re looking to make money always go for big tech.
Oh and in the case startups do succeed, the founders make a good ROI but you bet whatever your shares are will be diluted to nothing as an employee. Let’s be real, your startup becoming a unicorn is the same as winning the lottery, except you get 0.5% of the earnings if not less.
Who is “they?” It’s widely known that existing shareholders are diluted in subsequent funding rounds. This isn’t something “they” need to tell anyone. You can figure stuff like this out in less than 5 minutes of googling. It’s your career and you should actively engage with understanding how you are compensated. Yeah, early stage startups are a lottery ticket. You know that going in. I’ve worked for a few startups. Never hit it big, and occasionally we had to do things like unload trucks in the loading dock because nobody else was around to do it. You know that going in. That’s why a lot of people will advise you to start your career at big tech.
And who hates pizza parties? I love pizza parties.
Working in a startup as not a founder = not ideal
Working on a startup as a founder = ideal
Those who work in the startup don’t get paid and usually won’t see return from equity but the founders/VC who has it will see a ton of return if acquired.
I worked for startup for 3 years after college and just switched to a big tech company, just gotta say it’s better already
The startups you worked for,how much did they raise?