

Ask HN: Working at a Startup vs. Large Companies - Brewer

I'm a CS student right now and I'll be applying for internships later this year. This will be my first internship and I'm wondering whether I should focus on startups or large companies?<p>I can see advantages for each: I think I would like that environment better at a startup. From what I hear you generally get a lot more freedom. You hack on cool projects that you are passionate about, but you work hard, which I don't mind. On the other hand, I think that working at a larger company would help me learn more. There would be more senior developers that can provide insight whereas in a startup there would only be a couple other developers, depending on how far along the company is.<p>What I'm looking for is some insight. What have you learned from your experience? What are the pros and cons of working at a startup versus a large company? What do you recommend for someone looking for their first internship?
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booduh
I have a THEORY that it is easier to get an internship at a Startup than at a
large company (during your first 2 years of college). If you are willing to
work for a little less (maybe free-- get equity, choose wisely), then you
could snag an internship right after your freshman year, when normally your
options would be slim (larger companies tend to have these rules that bar
interns until their Junior year). Here's the good: while most are working at
McDonald's during their first college summer, or sitting around, you will be
gaining solid experience.

If you can't get a good enough internship, then remember to start your own
company! This is especially true if you won't necessarily need to make money
during the summer months. You can probably pilot and test your idea during the
school year, and you can play a different story when its time to get your
first full-time job. The experience of having your own thing on the side while
in college will set you down a different path once you graduate. Also, it will
help you select and see the benefit of taking a few business-related
electives! This is important! You will learn that it is important to be able
to manage finances (take a finance course!) as well as market your
brand/idea/self (take a marketing/sales/branding course).

Starting your own thing on the side is likely to provide you with a context
for the best possible real world experience you can hope for. After working on
your own thing, and seeing what its really like out there, then you will have
questions, and you will assess everything with a keen observational eye (when
you go for your next internship). You may also be better equipped (awareness)
to negotiate when its time to secure your first full-time job. You will also
not need to ask yourself, "startup vs. large company vs. entrepreneur," as you
will have tested the waters young.

The main benefit of interning at a large company is to see what its like at a
large company.

~~~
Brewer
Unfortunately, working for free isn't an option for me. On the other hand, I
also don't need the $5500+/mn that tech giants like Google and Facebook pay.

I am between my Freshman and Sophomore year now, but I am looking forward to
hopefully finding an internship for next summer. I like the idea of doing my
own thing if that doesn't work out. I'd still have to work, but I'm sure I
would have more than enough time for a side project.

I'm going to be working with one of the CS professors at my school for 2
months starting on Friday, hopefully that will give me a leg up on the
competition when it comes time to find an internship. What do you think?

~~~
booduh
Start your own company immediately. You can give your day job higher priority,
but definitely try your hand at this life! In 3 years when you graduate you
will be thankful for the experience, or for the extra money you'll have in
your pocket.

Don't plan to fail.

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iworkforthem
I'm a Large Companies guy making transition to a Startup guy now.

What I learnt from Large Companies. \- The way they price their software is by
far the most creative. There is these core components which you pay $X for.
Then for feature A, you pay $X+1. For feature B, you pay $X+2, etc. And of
course you'll give you a discount for being first customer.

And installation & support hours are separate cost components, etc. At the end
of the day, it really really really add up. \- Multinational work culture. You
will work with counterparts from various countries, etc. Much like a Startup
too if you are hiring remote workers. You'll have a good idea how to work
different culture & style.

These are 2 main benefits working in Large Companies. In terms of coding, I
learnt from the folks sharing their codes at github, and open source
communities; unit testing, continuous integration, etc.

At the end of the day, it is what you want to achieve? ps: The monthly pay
check in a Large Companies can really put in a comfort zone mode.

------
rahulrg
There is an excellent Quora thread on this very topic.
[http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-good-questions-to-ask-
you...](http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-good-questions-to-ask-yourself-to-
determine-if-you-are-ready-to-join-a-startup)

To excerpt a relevant point from the top answer: "I'm not sure if people
"become" ready for a startup; in my experience, people are either small-
company types or big-company types. When big-company types of people join a
startup, they are typically ineffective and (if installed as a manager), a
major force in slowing things down. When small-company types of people join a
larger company, they tend to become annoyed and dissatisfied, often leaving
quickly"

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Brewer
Another idea: Joining a startup seems similar to being thrown in the deep end.
You go in thinking you'll be over your head, but you learn real quick. [1] A
large company, on the other hand, seems like it would be easier to settle
into. You would get more assistance and there would be more people to show you
what you're supposed to be doing.

[1] All joking aside, this is how I learned to swim. Someone literally threw
me into the deep end of a pool. I wasn't happy about it, but I knew how to
swim!

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veyron
Assuming that "working at startup" means working for a startup (ie not being a
founder), check out

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2612416>

and

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2623797>

for contrasting opinions and discussions

~~~
Brewer
Yes, I meant working for a startup. Sorry, it's late. :)

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aherlambang
Sorry if I am not possibly answering your question, but can't you do both? Do
you still have time to do another internship the following year? So if you
choose to go with startup this summer then go for large companies next year,
therefore you can decide better which one you want to pursue for your full
time after you graduate.

~~~
Brewer
That's a great idea. If things work out then I might even be able to get 3
internships in total (every summer that I'm in university).

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open
Personal opinion but internship experience is probably going to be better at a
startup. Now if you were looking for a job, then it'd probably depend heavily
on what your goals are but given the short amount of time an internship
generally lasts, you'd do better with startups.

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timjahn
Can't hurt to try both. I think there are definitely pros and cons to each,
but the only way you're going to truly discover what works for you is to give
each environment a try.

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staunch
You will can learn how to succeed at a startup or succeed at a BigCo. Which
skillset do you want to develop?

~~~
Brewer
I'd imagine that I could develop the same skill set either way.

If you're talking about tech skills then I'm a Python guy. I would also like
to get into C or C++ at some point. I am trying my hands at Django now, and
I'm not totally sure how I feel about it. I hear that Rails is better for web
development, but it doesn't scale well.

Aside from that, I'd love to have a project that I have a lot of influence
over. That's not something you can easily get at a company like Google.

~~~
open
Is this you? <http://www.dreamincode.net/forums/user/392599-brewer/>

~~~
Brewer
Yes, that is me.

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genystartup
you should read this: [http://college2startup.tumblr.com/post/6420242367/why-
you-sh...](http://college2startup.tumblr.com/post/6420242367/why-you-should-
absolutely-work-for-a-startup)

