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Ask HN: Moving from a startup to a big co, what should I be aware of?

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Re: Ask HN: Moving from a startup to a big co, what should I be aware of?

#81

Post by rkangel »

Your personal development is your responsibility. Figure out how the system works and make sure to take advantage of it.

Any big org will have its system for personal development and advancement. These vary wildly in how well they work and how fair they are. You will have a line manager who's job is in theory to help you develop. They also vary wildly in how helpful they are (middle managers who benefit by keeping good people on their team and so preventing them getting promotions is a classic bad big company problem).

Understand the development system. Understand the metrics and make sure that you do work to check the boxes. Just doing your job well probably won't work on its own to get pay rises and promotions. Every metrics system has its weaknesses - game them to the degree that you consider ethical.

Re: Ask HN: Moving from a startup to a big co, what should I be aware of?

#82

Post by katzgrau »

lunias wrote: post #72

Remember when you used to ask your Mom / Dad, "Why?" and they'd respond with, "Because I said so." It's like that, but subtly more infuriating because it's never a single identifiable person saying "no" that could be spoken to, understood, and reasoned with. The answer that you'll get at a big company is, "because that's the way it is".

Having worked at Big Co and then on my own company for years, this is exactly what I was thinking.

You'll lose professional autonomy in exchange for a good salary, job security, and resume bling. And you probably won't have to work as hard or as often (again, probably).

Re: Ask HN: Moving from a startup to a big co, what should I be aware of?

#83

Post by sheepybloke »

fangorn wrote: post #39
KKKKkkkk1 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> At a startup you are actively changing the world. That sounds very exciting. Can you point to one startup that's changing the world?

SpaceX?

Are they though? They're almost 18 years old at this point, so I feel like they don't really count as a startup.

Re: Ask HN: Moving from a startup to a big co, what should I be aware of?

#84

Post by bengale »

* Things move slowly.

* You need to be able to play the game if you're going to move up, if you want to stay in the same role don't make waves.

* Other people are playing the game. Sometimes if you're trying to make changes, even if they're going to be beneficial, you are going to run into people who have a vested interest in you not improving things. Don't let it get you down, pick your battles.

* You are way easier to replace than you think you are, don't start fights with people that can let you go. Most won't hesitate to remove you if you make their life difficult.

* Make the most of the perks and don't bust a gut, if anyone notices it'll be because you're making them look bad. Going above and beyond will earn you a pat on the head but nothing more.

* People will be doing everything they can to cover their own ass, don't let them use you for cover.

* Don't get too attached to projects, things get killed or mothballed. Years of work can just be binned without much warning. Make sure you're not defining yourself by what you're doing at work.

I've done my time at a couple of big firms and had people working with me on teams that want to be a 'craftsman' or don't really understand these workplaces, the thing I tell them to remember was "don't fight the waves, just let it wash over you". You can't win, you'll just knacker yourself out and drown.

Don't feel bad if you hate it or want to leave, it's not for everyone. Also don't feel bad if you love it, plenty of people have much better things going on in their life than work and are happy to coast along at a big firm doing what needs to be done.

Re: Ask HN: Moving from a startup to a big co, what should I be aware of?

#86

Post by par »

austincheney wrote: post #5

Here is what it means to work at a big company: * Things work slowly, so relax. There are many people that have a hand in every aspect of a product decision. * At a startup you are actively changing the world. That’s done now. Put that completely out of your head. You are cog in a machine. Instead focus on your assigned product, help your teammates, and just learn to relax. * You, the individual, are not important. T…

"just relax" good advice.

Re: Ask HN: Moving from a startup to a big co, what should I be aware of?

#87

Post by thinking_errol »

GrumpyYoungMan wrote: post #69
thinking_errol wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I found 3 corporate confidential books on Amazon: by Susan Dephillips, by Barath Surendran and by Cynthia Shapiro. Which one do you recommend?

You want the Susan Dephillips one. Very eye opening, if you've never worked in a big corporation before.

Thanks. I have actually for many years and up to 150k head count, but never learned to properly deal with it. Moved onto a mid-sized company which is growing into a conglomerate of its own. I did like Erik Dietrich's Developer Hegemony, but his style of dealing with big co felt a bit too cynical.

https://leanpub.com/developerhegemony

Re: Ask HN: Moving from a startup to a big co, what should I be aware of?

#88

Post by bengale »

systematical wrote: post #13

Well my journey was a bit different than yours. I was Lead Dev at a small startup ( I hope your experience is better. If you're going to a FAANG I imagine it will be. This place is much more buttoned up.

This rings a bell for me. Before I started at a big firm I assumed they'd be super optimised to get people going fast, as its a common occurrence for them. What I didn't realise was that you sitting waiting for equipment and logins for 2 weeks doesn't show up on anyones spreadsheet so its not a real loss as far as they're concerned.

Plenty of time for self improvement though if you're just using it as a stepping stone.

Re: Ask HN: Moving from a startup to a big co, what should I be aware of?

#89

Post by RockIslandLine »

"All I’ve ever learnt over the last decade has been by operating in a capital constrained environment."

That won't necessarily change in a big corporate environment. Management can be surprisingly resistant to approving funding requests.

We had significant problems getting the purchase of android and iOS devices approved for product testing, for instance. I'm certain that the human time spent getting the purchase approved cost far more than the actual purchase.

Re: Ask HN: Moving from a startup to a big co, what should I be aware of?

#90

Post by snarfy »

I just started at Big Co!

For my first assignment, I had a question about an API I was supposed to use. I was told to email Bob.

me: "Do I do A or B when using the API?"

Bob: (cc's his manager my email)

Bob's manager: Is your team suppose to be using API? (my manager cc'd)

Two weeks of infighting later, still no answer to A or B, and my task is now past due.

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