Stay with large company or go to start-up?

[fs5]

Here's the current situation.

Large company - waiting for response after 2 rounds of interviews for programming position. This is not their engineering team but tools development team internally (ie programming tools for managers to manage people better, get metrics from the system, and tools to help employees to their job better). This means there's not much in terms of real engineering. Basically data manipulation. This company is Google.

Start-up company - 15-20 Ph.D.'s in the nanotech sector doing material engineering. I would be 50% IT and 50% software engineering. I've established with them that my primary job would NOT be IT but would be engineering. The IT side would be minimal. I would be doing scientific simulation programming. The opportunity to learn is tremendous. The experience here is much more valuable but it's a gamble being a start-up. Company is nanostellar (.com)

I'm conflicted now... Big company? stable, known name, not much in terms of learning. Start-up, hard work, unstable, great chance to get good experience.

What would you do?

PS. if anybody is interested in the position at the start-up company PM me (they're located in menlo park, ca)

 

[AccruedExpenditure]

Ahh I told you that Google sucks. Did you find out what they do to their business people? Black Friday's?

 

[notfred]

I would go for Google and see if I couldn't get myself into a more interesting position in the near future.

 

[AccruedExpenditure]

15-20 Ph.D.'s at a start up? Pretty good looking... How much v/c have they raised? Who are their financers?

I'd like to get some work experience there... on the business/accounting/marketing side though

 

[fs5]

Originally posted by: Gnote
Ahh I told you that Google sucks. Did you find out what they do to their business people? Black Friday's?

Google is fine as far as I'm concerned. I'm attempting to move into the tools development team. I have no idea what goes on on the business side but the business ethics here are great. It's probably the best company I've worked for in terms of the way they treat their employees. (Once again I don't know about the business side )

Originally posted by: Gnote
15-20 Ph.D.'s at a start up? Pretty good looking... How much v/c have they raised? Who are their financers?

I'd like to get some work experience there... on the business/accounting/marketing side though

I believe their CEO is William Miller ( http://gobi.stanford.edu/facultybios/bio.asp?ID=106 ).
In the news they've raised $3 million so far and are backed by a large VC firm from Europe.

 

[AccruedExpenditure]

Originally posted by: fivespeed5

Originally posted by: Gnote
Ahh I told you that Google sucks. Did you find out what they do to their business people? Black Friday's?

Google is fine as far as I'm concerned. I'm attempting to move into the tools development team. I have no idea what goes on on the business side but the business ethics here are great. It's probably the best company I've worked for in terms of the way they treat their employees. (Once again I don't know about the business side )

Ahhh I see. Well i'd shoot for the start up, but that's mean and I don't have any real bills to pay. Check your pm's though

 

[z0mb13]

take google!!

and hook me up once u work there!

 

[Ameesh]

How does your resume look, do you have a couple of big companies on there?

perosnally i have some large companies on my resume so I don't need to really build it up anymore. so whatever the work would be would drive me, but without know what point in your career you are at it would be hard to make a reccomendation.

 

[Noirish]

if google gives you good options.

 

[Zombie]

Originally posted by: fivespeed5
Here's the current situation.

Large company - waiting for response after 2 rounds of interviews for programming position. This is not their engineering team but tools development team internally (ie programming tools for managers to manage people better, get metrics from the system, and tools to help employees to their job better). This means there's not much in terms of real engineering. Basically data manipulation. This company is Google.

Start-up company - 15-20 Ph.D.'s in the nanotech sector doing material engineering. I would be 50% IT and 50% software engineering. I've established with them that my primary job would NOT be IT but would be engineering. The IT side would be minimal. I would be doing scientific simulation programming. The opportunity to learn is tremendous. The experience here is much more valuable but it's a gamble being a start-up. Company is nanostellar (.com)

I'm conflicted now... Big company? stable, known name, not much in terms of learning. Start-up, hard work, unstable, great chance to get good experience.

What would you do?

PS. if anybody is interested in the position at the start-up company PM me (they're located in menlo park, ca)

I was in the same situation and picked small start-up. Make sure that the start-up has good market potential and has no debt. If they have debt don't bother go for bigger. Also if you go for start-up company don't expect much for benefits package.

We got bought out recently but till then we had no educational reembursment and no 401k match.

 

[fs5]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
How does your resume look, do you have a couple of big companies on there?

perosnally i have some large companies on my resume so I don't need to really build it up anymore. so whatever the work would be would drive me, but without know what point in your career you are at it would be hard to make a reccomendation.

the only other company on my resume is a 400 people router/modem OEM (actiontec.com). There's another thing I'm also considering...

My resume (with Google under work experience) would get me past the basic HR people. But interviewing with an actually engineer or ph.d wouldn't it sound better if I said:

-designed and developed scientific simulations involving quantum mechanics and materials engineering for a nanotech etc etc...
versus:
-developed enterprise level internal tools

I honestly don't know...

 

[memo]

i'd rather be a engineer personally. and working with all those PhD would be great because you can always pick up different methods of thinking. I have.

 

[zephyrprime]

-designed and developed scientific simulations involving quantum mechanics and materials engineering for a nanotech etc etc...
versus:
-developed enterprise level internal tools

The vast majority of programmers don't do anything but develop business software. Do you think computer programmers are a bunch of scientists or something?

 

[DT4K]

Originally posted by: zephyrprime

-designed and developed scientific simulations involving quantum mechanics and materials engineering for a nanotech etc etc...
versus:
-developed enterprise level internal tools

The vast majority of programmers don't do anything but develop business software. Do you think computer programmers are a bunch of scientists or something?

Yes, but we all want to be scientists.

 

[fs5]

Originally posted by: zephyrprime

-designed and developed scientific simulations involving quantum mechanics and materials engineering for a nanotech etc etc...
versus:
-developed enterprise level internal tools

The vast majority of programmers don't do anything but develop business software. Do you think computer programmers are a bunch of scientists or something?

no, they're not, but that's the point. Do I want to be just another computer programmer or an actual scientist? isn't the regular joe computer programmer skills merely a subset of computer scientist's skills?

 

[ITJunkie]

Originally posted by: fivespeed5

Originally posted by: Ameesh
How does your resume look, do you have a couple of big companies on there?

perosnally i have some large companies on my resume so I don't need to really build it up anymore. so whatever the work would be would drive me, but without know what point in your career you are at it would be hard to make a reccomendation.

the only other company on my resume is a 400 people router/modem OEM (actiontec.com). There's another thing I'm also considering...

My resume (with Google under work experience) would get me past the basic HR people. But interviewing with an actually engineer or ph.d wouldn't it sound better if I said:

-designed and developed scientific simulations involving quantum mechanics and materials engineering for a nanotech etc etc...
versus:
-developed enterprise level internal tools

I honestly don't know...

You bring up a great point here...FWIW, when I am looking at resumes, I am more interested in accomplishments and how you would "fit in" to the current workforce. Just because you worked for a big name really doesn't mean sh*t to me. It's what you did there that really matters.

Having worked for startups before, they can be a lot of fun but also a lot of work. The hours can be real long and you may find yourself doing much more "IT" work than you're willing to do because they don't have the resources to hire someone else to do it right now.

As I said...FWIW

 

[z0mb13]

how do the $$$ compare??

 

[DT4K]

If you have the freedom to take a chance(kids or wife?), I'd say go for it. It's obvious that it's what you really want to do and if you don't give it a shot, you'll always wish you had. Sure, it's more risky, but there's also a much bigger potential gain if they make it.

 

[SilverTorch]

Fvck Google. It maybe a good search engine and blah blah blah, but the fact remains, in a big company you == number.

Plus the job at the start up company sounds more interesting.

 

[HamSupLo]

the startup looks more interesting where you can apply your passion for programming. I have a friend writing human resource management type apps for a large university and he basically hates it. I think you have far more opportunities with the startup while at Google, it seems dead end.

if you get a chance, ask the startup people some hard hitting questions: how many rounds of financing? burn rate? how many quarters until profitablity? take a look at the business plan? who are the VC investors?

 

[DaveSimmons]

I went with a startup in 2000 after my previous employer was acquired and I didn't feel like moving to work for the new owners. I'm still here, and seems to have turned out much better than my second choice would've (bSquare, not doing too well lately).

Aside from the chance for interesting work, key issues are like what HamSupLo said: how well is it managed, does it look like it has the funding to last until revenue-producing products reach the market, and are the products being developed something people will actually pay for.

...also, don't pick either expecting to become a millionaire from stock options, that gold rush pretty much ended after the dot-com bubble, except for the founders of the startups who have huge blocks of stock in exchange for putting up the initial funding and sweat equity.

 

[fs5]

Originally posted by: z0mb13
how do the $$$ compare??

I don't know, and I honestly could care less as long as it's above $40k.. experience is more valuable to me than anything. Plus I don't have any responsiblities (wife/kids)

Originally posted by: HamSupLo
if you get a chance, ask the startup people some hard hitting questions: how many rounds of financing? burn rate? how many quarters until profitablity? take a look at the business plan? who are the VC investors?

I haven't asked those questions yet, I've only have the first interview. Their busniess plan look solid, I know who their VCs are. The other two questions I don't know...They are definitely a product company, not one just set up for research...

 

[Wuffsunie]

How's your financial situation now?
How steady will pay be with the startup job?
Difference in payrates?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Both are interesting opportunities

Google is google, you can go further
A startup is more risk but with risk comes chance, possibility to make a greater future

Depending if you're married, want a steady life, can take risk, decide on those. If you're young, not married, willing to take risk, go with the start up

 

[fs5]

Originally posted by: Wuffsunie
How's your financial situation now?
How steady will pay be with the startup job?
Difference in payrates?

have enough saved up in the bank to survive for about 3 months w/o any income. I believe I will get a steady paycheck from the start-up.

Unfortunately I don't know the payrates at either position (or stock options/benefits). I would only weigh pay around 25% into my decision making anyhow.