
How to Land a Job at a Startup (Even if you live in the middle of nowhere) - entrep11
http://lukethomas.com/how-to-land-a-job-at-a-startup-even-if-you-live-in-the-middle-of-nowhere/
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eterpstra
Hmm... I read the title of this more as, "How to Land a Job at a Startup (and
stay living in the middle of nowhere by working remotely)" rather than, "How
to Land a Job at a Startup (and then move to Boston)"

Anyway, I agree it's pretty generic 'blanket' advice - for me, a 32 yr old.
Pretty wise words for a college grad, though, whose audience is probably more
his underclassmen than me.

~~~
scarecrowbob
I read the title in the same sense as you did and feel kind of the same way--
I like the advice and as my kids are older it's the same advice that I would
give them...

but as a freelance PHP guy 90m outside of Austin looking for a stable remote
gig without moving, I was hoping for something more along the lines of our
first reading of the title.

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jkl9
This is rather shallow and superficial- nothing new besides blanket general
advice and personal anecdotes. Seems like self-promotion to be honest.

The "do this because I did and it's great and I work at a super cool startup
now!!" is rather nauseating- how did this reach the front page?

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lukethomas
Shoot - that wasn't my goal at all. I just know many people who want to work
at a tech company, yet the biggest complain I hear is that they don't live in
one of the "hubs." The reason I told stories about my experiences was to try
to relate, not be arrogant.

~~~
jkl9
The issue is not that you shared your experience but it is that you provided
no real insight or value into how to get a job at a start up. This article is
just platitudes referencing your anecdotal experience.

If you're going to post your personal blog, here are some examples of decent
posts:

<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5544010>
<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5539231>

What do they have that your post doesn't? Depth. They bring a topic up and
have insightful perspectives on that topic. If your goal is to write
compelling or informative articles about getting a job at a start up then you
could speak with founders/engineers about what they're looking for in a new
hire, etc.

I'm sorry if you take it personally, I'm just giving you honest feedback.

~~~
lifeisstillgood
I think it's a little unfair to compare a professional journalists OpEd and
the rumination of someone fairly connected in Finance over a decade with a
"how I got my first real job" post.

Yes, depth of insight and research Mark out the journalists article from the
blog post. But longform, as the editor of the New Yorker will tell you is
effort and cost

Tldr - it's good if unfair advice. Take it

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drakaal
If you want a great startup to work at you have to find the start up that fits
you. And invest. Not dollars directly, dollars in your pocket. Move. Live
cheap. Take less salary and more equity. There are startups on both coasts,
and a few in the middle. But the most important thing is that you find a job
you like in a company you believe in that you think can go somewhere.

~~~
minimaxir
_Take less salary and more equity._

...why?

~~~
tjbiddle
I think what he was trying to get at is that a lot of smaller startups can't
_afford_ to pay a higher salary - and in turn offer more equity. These may be
great companies to work for, and the point being made is to not right them off
simply due to salary.

Correct me if I'm wrong, of course.

~~~
drakaal
That was the idea. If you really want the start up experience a great team on
folding tables is better than a place with weekly massages, and a snack room
with a yogourt machine that is living on hype.

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drakaal
Phoenix AZ, <http://www.stremor.com> Silicon Valley tech team, living in "the
middle of nowhere"

We don't care if you have a college degree. Just if you have skills. We do
rocket science. Which is what is generally missing from startups outside "The
Valley"

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Ives
I think we might have different definitions of living in the middle of
nowhere. If you live in the middle of nowhere, how are you supposed to get
contracting work?

I guess it's possible to work 100% remotely, but in my experience most
companies would like to meet you at least once before hiring you. I'm not
saying it's impossible, but it's not easy as someone in college (unless you
want to go the hire-me-for-a-dollar-or-two oDesk/... way, but in that case the
experience isn't likely to help you land a good job).

~~~
lukethomas
If I told you I lived on a dirt road for the majority of my life, would that
classify as "middle of nowhere?" :)

You raise a good point, while many places want to meet you in person, I've
gained freelancing clients from a Skype chat. In person is great, but it
doesn't mean you shouldn't go after clients just because you can't meet with
them.

~~~
pyre
There are plenty of places with dirt roads that are a 1-2 hour drive from
Toronto, so I wouldn't exactly say that "living on a dirt road" provides
enough information.

~~~
lukethomas
True - I lived here for 13 years of my life
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrange,_Maine>), and was on dial up internet
until my freshman year of college.

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BudVVeezer
You should try coming into Bangor for the Maine Hacker Club meetings; we host
them weekly and it's a great way to network in the middle of nowhere. ;-)

<http://www.hackmaine.org/>

~~~
eropple
++ to this; I visited a couple times when I was in school and they're friendly
folks. I don't get up there much except to visit family anymore, but if you're
in the area it's worth checking out.

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morgante
Beyond being extremely generic, his advice underplays the importance of
deliberate practice at coding. Honestly, if you can hack, the jobs will come.
Sure, you might need to network a little, but the skills are the basis. Nobody
from my school with technical chops is unemployed or without good internships.

Meanwhile all the students who network and promote themselves but don't code
are stuck in unpaid internship after unpaid internship.

~~~
lukethomas
For what it's worth, I've worked nearly full-time at a local web design shop
doing "light" development (essentially building a WordPress site from a PSD)
in addition to my college classes. I probably should have mentioned that in my
post.

~~~
morgante
Fair enough. I did the same in high school, and it's certainly a good start.

However, if people really want to be hired, they should focus on developing
serious tech chops. ie. more than just slicing PSDs.

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wareagle920
Sometimes you can do the cold approach. As a 20 year-old college student, I
really just wanted some career guidance to be able to eventually do what I
wanted, work in the mobile-sphere. All I did was ask in IRC, and a few phone
calls later I had myself an internship.

I realize this method is probably a lot more suited for the younger, college
crowd, and it certainly won't work at every startup, but it worked for me!

