The Startup Life Is Not For Everyone

I've interviewed for a few startups recently. They mentioned "startup hours". When I drilled deeper into their hours, it basically meant you're on call 24/7.

I asked them to compensate me 400% of my wage to work hours which I'm not supposed to and they scoffed at me. I told them to take a hike.

Do not ever put a job on a pedestal simply because OMG JOB! You are worth more than you think, and nobody is worth sacrificing personal health for someone elses business that may or may not become profitable.

They need you more than you need them.

I'm not so sure your vantage point is that different. The issue here is risk. The bank engineer may love the idea of doing a startup, but if they're like me, it's vitally important that one's spouse and children get to eat every day. More important than having meaningful work. In reality the decision isn't that stark, but it does serve to highlight the thought process.

You see that as a downside. I see it as an upside.

I'm in the same place as you (42/20), and I've always loved working for startups. Just make sure they're paying you by the hour (contracts are best) and let them suck as much of your experience out as they need. And be sure to charge accordingly, since the thing you're selling isn't your butt in a seat, but the 20 years of accumulated knowledge and that giant \code\ folder on your hard drive with the solution to every problem they could conceivably have solved half a dozen times for previous gigs.

Incidentally, "2 years, then dodge the door" is a great way to get one's self acquainted with tons of technology and stay up to date on the flavor of the month while always having a good explanation for moving from job to job. Better still is "6 months then straight into the ground", having build something big and cool from a green field and watched the kids burn through their VC while buying you and the dev team fun toys to play with.

I guess it's all about outlook. If you look at it as them taking advantage of you, well, maybe they are. If you look at it as them needing you a lot more than you need them, well, that's a pretty fun (and lucrative) place to be.

Edit: To be clear, in the above scenario, 40 hour work weeks (or whatever makes sense for you) are non-negotiable. They are free to work 60 hour weeks if they like. Your contract should include the understanding that you don't plan to follow suit. Extra hours should be rare, on your terms, and well paid.

Most folks work hard at any job, in this economy. Why not a startup, where you share equity?

There's a lot of FUD about startup life, but really its just work, except with ambitious peers and cool projects. Sure it might fail at any time, but so can any job (speaking as a guy laid off from Dell when Dell never laid people off).

I like this fable: we're surfing, swimming, diving off the coast. A big boat comes by, and the people lean over the rail and say "Hey! Get out of the water! There are sharks and fish and pointy coral in there! And you're getting all wet and hot! You will probably drown!"

You can laugh, and try to explain that is pretty easy to swim, and you're all looking out for each other, and sharks don't really attack people very often, but you will never ever convince those dry people on the boat that its ok, really, and actually pretty fun out there.

i don't get the difference between them. isn't startup IS a small business?