

Ask HN: How does a non-senior dev find tiny startups to join? - lookingaway

I am a competent, middle-level developer with 2 heavy years of ruby&#x2F;js&#x2F;general startup language and frameworks knowledge and I <i>really</i> want to find a tiny startup to join where I can have a tangible impact on the company.<p>Trouble is that every ad&#x2F;posting I&#x27;ve seen for smaller startups are always looking for senior devs. I don&#x27;t trust going through a recruiter, because their payday comes from any placement, not for the placement I specifically want (and I have had a bad experience with recruiters).<p>Is there any value for a mid-level developer outside the bigger companies?
======
izolate
Look at the HN Who's Hiring thread and pick one to apply. There are plenty of
Ruby jobs out there. Join them as a developer, forget about the title.

------
codezero
First step, stop calling yourself a mid-level developer. Startups want you to
dive in, not second guess yourself.

If you can pass muster, it doesn't matter what you think of yourself. Change
your point of view, give it a shot, and just see what happens. OK, if you
can't get hired, then maybe you prove your own thesis, but it's worth a try.

The other option is to just start your own startup.

------
phantom_oracle
As per your concerns, I'd stick to my day job and build things on the side.

If you live in a place like SV and you're well connected, good things will
come your way.

If you're like everyone else, you have to work hard, hustle, build up your own
networks and provide a great product/service.

If you're looking to network, we could discuss things/get to know each other.

------
mantasm
[http://www.mycareercity.com/defaultC.aspx](http://www.mycareercity.com/defaultC.aspx)
is launching pretty soon (i.e. within a week). They're aimed at more junior-
level developers I think.

------
SkyMarshal
Good way to start finding startups near you - find the the incubators, see
which of their classes got funded.

[https://angel.co/incubators](https://angel.co/incubators)

------
hagestev
We're hiring somebody that roughly fits your profile right about now (good
traction, still small dev team). No promises, but if you email me at
steve@massdrop.com, we can see if you're a good match.

------
upstill
It's a seller's market for developers on FounderDating, i.e., far more people
with a startup idea than developers to implement it.

~~~
phantom_oracle
That's because the ideas guys don't realize how 'valuable' their ideas are.

Also, they should start printing the "fine print" in a supersized ARIAL 64
FONT that clarifies whether you are working for sweat equity (most of the
time) or the other guy will actually pay you.

------
tehwebguy
How tiny? If you need a decent salary it may be harder to find a startup that
is still very small.

