

Ask HN: How do I pick between Microsoft and OPower? - NTH

I am a CS major who will be graduating in May 2012. (I would be starting full time work in Fall 2012.) I have a number of job offers, but the two I'm most interested in currently are Microsoft and OPower (http://opower.com/). I really have no idea how to pick between the two.<p>Microsoft - Windows Phone Team<p>__Pros:__<p>* Much higher compensation<p>* Working in C++ may make me a stronger coder<p>* I am passionate about Windows Phone<p>* Based on previous internship experience, I know most people there are quite smart<p>* Microsoft may look better on my resume (but that doesn't feel like a great reason)<p>* I've lived in the Seattle area my whole life, and know that I like it<p>__Cons:__<p>* C++ can be a pain to work with<p>* Despite being reviewed well, Windows Phone has a tiny market share<p>* I interned on Outlook in Summer 2010 and had a hard time socially connecting with my team<p>* I've lived in the Seattle area my whole life, and may want to try something new<p>* Push code to users every 6-12 months is slower than I'd like<p>* Is Microsoft stagnant?<p>OPower<p>__Pros:__<p>* Stock options could end up being worth a lot<p>* Java isn't the greatest, but it could be more fun than C++<p>* Push code to users every 3 weeks!<p>* Rapidly pivoting teams/priorities could nicely fit my desire to work on a wide range of projects<p>* Quarterly Hackathons<p>* Nice office with plenty of natural light and scooters<p>* Goofy, laid-back culture<p>* Arlington / DC could be a cool area to work<p>* OPower's 21st century approach to energy reporting / analytics is wonderfully refreshing after the horribly user-hostile traditional bills I get<p>__Cons:__<p>* Stock options could end up being worthless<p>* The interview questions were significantly easier than those at Microsoft - does that mean the quality of people is lower?<p>* Customers are utility companies instead of consumers, so it may be harder for me to relate<p>* Number of people who actually pay attention to the stuff OPower produces could be even smaller than the number of people who use Windows Phones.<p>Maybe if I worked at OPower, I could express my passion for the Windows Phone by continuing to develop 3rd party apps.<p>Both companies felt like a good culture fit - I enjoyed the people I got to meet during my on-sites.<p>I've interned at Microsoft and Google in the past, and I eventually want to work at a startup / maybe found my own. One friend suggested that I work at Microsoft for a bit so I can save enough cash that taking a risk on a startup is easier.<p>I have no idea what to do. I suspect I could be quite happy at either. I also suspect that as a new grad, I don't even know what the right questions to ask are to assess how happy I'd be at each of these places. Can you share any wisdom?
======
mrchess
Well, from this post you don't seem to love OPower. My personal thought is
that if you join a startup or a small company, you should really love it.

To me Microsoft seems like the clear bet. Higher pay, and smarter people.
Spend your first 2-3 years gathering industry knowledge, learning from the
smart people, and building yourself a nice nest egg. If you end up enjoying
it, you can climb the corporate ladder. If not, you should find it much easier
to interview for a new startup with Microsoft on your resume as it holds more
street cred. It is also easier to return to corporate (in the event your
startup fails) with prior corporate experience.

The only danger of going corporate first is that you get too comfortable and
don't want to leave your paycheck. You get used to having money unlike in
college when you had none. If you make $100K/yr at corporate and need to
downgrade to $70K for a startup, you really feel the bump. Just be ready for
that.

I speak from experience. I graduated, took the corporate job and saved up a
ton of money over 2.5 years and I never regret my decision. I saved up, built
some corporate connections, and recently quit. In fact, people expected me to
quit (I was always hacking on side projects and keeping my knowledge up to
date), and they said to me "Good luck. If things don't work out look us back
up.", no bridge burned.

EDIT: I just realized a con was "hard time socially connecting at Microsoft".
This is actually a red flag in my book. Can you elaborate? Why would they
offer you a job if you didn't get along socially?

~~~
NTH
Re: the social issue - all the young dudes on the team were really in to Star
Craft, which is great, but not something I can really have a conversation
about. They offered me a job because I was still a perfectly cordial /
competent person. I just didn't bond with my teammates beyond a very
superficial, professional level.

~~~
mrchess
Well, now it is straight up "the grass is greener" problem.

I'd wipe away the cons list at this point, and just look at the pros, and just
pick which pros make you can more envision yourself waking up to every day.
Don't worry about corporate street cred -- it will stay with you through your
MS/Google internships.

I still have bias towards choosing corporate as I personally wanted a nest egg
so that when I did go to startups I would be financially worry free, and it
worked out for me. I was able to save almost 50-60% of my salary every year
(lived at my folks house).

------
djb_hackernews
\- I interviewed at OPower way way back, 2 things: The interview process was
hair brained, I was explicitly told devs were expected to work 65 hrs/wk. I've
been told these things have changed since, but interesting culturally
nonetheless. On the whole I did like everyone I interviewed with and what they
had to say about the company.

\- I live in DC, and can tell you it is a great place to be a young person
with some money.

\- Don't sweat the stock options. If you aren't the cofounder or employee
#1-3, you should be getting paid market rates and viewing the stock options as
a lottery ticket with a drawing so far in the future it is likely not to
matter. I'd be willing to bet money that after 3 years you'd do better
participating in the MS ESPP, if they have one.

I think the clear choice is MS, for me. More money, better resume fodder,
Windows Phone would be an incredible product to work on.

------
vyrotek
Personally, I'm a fan of a lot of things from Microsoft (WP7, .Net, Xbox) so I
would jump at any opportunity to work there. I actually have a couple of close
friends who work there and they love it! They work on various .Net/VS related
frameworks. I paid them a visit just last year and fell in love with the
Seattle area. You live in quite an amazing city. The Redmond campus was pretty
awesome too.

~~~
NTH
The Seattle area is definitely great, but I may want to try something new.

~~~
latch

      but I may want to try something new
    

Do you or don't you? We can't decide this for you.

------
gesman
If pay at both places would be zero - where would you rather work? Pick that
answer.

