
Ask HN: Should I take a Data/ML job at a startup that doesn't yet have data - erwnerve
After 7 years of frontend web app experience, I&#x27;m switching careers to ML&#x2F;DataScience and looking for that first job to get my foot in the door. I recently spoke to a founder of a very early-stage startup. (I don&#x27;t have any experience working with startups either.) They seem to have their frontend work outsourced to a team in another country but their core product will eventually depend entirely on a recommendation engine that will need to be built by new people. If I take the job, I&#x27;ll be the first Data person, but also the first in-house tech guy so I might end up with leadership responsibilites later on.<p>My question is whether it makes sense at all to join as a &quot;Data person&quot; when the data will likely be insufficient for the next 12+ months. They won&#x27;t even launch the app until January.<p>I worry that I will get caught up in mostly doing urgent frontend work and putting out fires and it will be at least a year before I even begin to look at the data.<p>Thanks for any advice and for pointing out my naivete!
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jppope
Just throwing this out there... but worry more about the company/team/funding
first. Their claims may or may not be true... but you should make sure you're
good financially first.

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erwnerve
Got it. Honestly at the moment, i'm financially somewhat secure and so i'm
open to a riskier venture. If the startup failed in a year but I've gained
considerable Data-engineering experience, I would still think of it as a win.

But you're right. The company/team matters and the viability of the startup
matters. Though I have no idea how to estimate how their funding will turn out
in the future...

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jppope
If you are financially stable... the go bigger. You can afford to really look
for the right gig. Find a solid headhunter, and find your perfect gig... it
will take ~3-6 months but it will be worth it.

Other option, start a biz on the side that utilizes the exact skills you would
need later.

