

Ask HN: Is it worth it to join a great company in a "lowly" position? - x99

Say I get an offer to join an awesome company. Problem is, I'm overqualified for the position, but the reason I applied was to see if I could get in, and then grow within the company. I'm hoping if this will open doors long-term (having, say, McKinsey on your resume is essentially a rubber stamp to success in your future career path), but I'm also worried about the short-term implications.Have any of you been in this position?
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nostrademons
Is the position "lowly" in a relative sense or in an absolute sense?

The most important part of career development is making sure that you're being
challenged and learning new things wherever you are. Sometimes that means
taking a bottom-rung software engineering position at Google, and sometimes it
might mean being CTO of a startup. The answer depends a lot on what you've
already done before, what you want to do in the future, and what specific
skillsets you've identified as needing practice.

I've found that in general, it's harder to blaze a trail than it is to follow
in other really smart people's footsteps. OTOH, there's something
intrinsically educational about that difficulty itself. A lot, too, depends on
whether you find yourself stagnating because you can't identify areas where
you could do better (a big problem for big-fish-in-a-small-pond) or whether
you find yourself stagnating because you're too overcome with inertia to
change your behavior (a big problem for small-fish-in-a-big-pond).

BTW, I've also noticed that many people who think they're overqualified for
great companies when they get their offer find that they're not overqualified
at all once they get in. The public face of any great company is a tiny
fraction of everything that goes on inside of them...that's how they got to be
great, after all.

~~~
x99
Relative sense.

While I'm at a somewhat decent level at my current position, I don't see
growth opportunities, at least in the way I want to grow. I'm wondering if
starting again at a lower rung, but hopefully, in the right path, would be
worth the "demotion" so to speak.

I hope you're right about the "find that they're not overqualified at all
once" bit.

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sgman
Take the job and attempt to grow within the company. Best case: you reach the
position you want at a great company. Worst case: you leave in ~ 1 year and
you have a great company on your resume.

~~~
mahmud
"So, why did you leave Great Company"?

A better option might be to take a higher position/pay at a lousy company. At
least then he will have a savings cushion to fall back on. There is no sense
in trying to "climb the ladder"; some positions are so low that you can't
possibly climb out of them. Try to grow from testing into lead dev, if you
don't believe me.

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AmberShah
It depends on how lowly. For example, I would never think it would be worth it
to be a secretary at Google over a programmer somewhere else. However, coming
in as a regular developer when you've normally had senior or lead roles is
fine. People do it and if asked about it later they will understand why you
took that step, in order to get experience within that company.

Most of all, talk to the people giving you the offer. Make it clear that in a
career sense this is a step down but you are considering it because that's how
much you want to work for the company. Ask specifically what the growth path
is or growth opportunities are for you there. I wouldn't expect them to make
any guarantees but you can phrase it as: if I were to perform exceptional,
then... You just want to make sure they know they aren't hiring a low level
code monkey who will be happy doing the same thing 5 years later.

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all
Per nostrademons, shoring up your skillset by going into related areas
(whether of technology or ops environment) is a good way to secure your
career. However, it could also work against you if you ever intend to start
your own company. Broadening your skillset helps to make you a master
technician (a la Gerber's E-Myth) but often does not prepare you for higher
levels of management. This isn't to say "don't do it" but to manage your
career by a goal instead of letting things happen by accident.

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maukdaddy
Take it. Find interesting problems and challenges to solve so that you expand
your responsibilities over time. People will notice, and with the right
networking, you should be able to move up/ be promoted.

Edit: a job, even if below you, allows for savings and retirement matching,
both of which allow you greater flexibility in the future.

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cmspro
Yes! The hardest part is getting in the door. Once in, it is easier to move
up. But be realistic.. you're being hired for a specific role and aren't going
to be promoted to CEO in one week.

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chegra
I'd like to here how you got in and at what post.

