

Is working at a startup risky? No. - darrellsilver
http://blog.thinkful.com/post/41945187257/is-working-at-a-startup-risky

======
cheald
What a silly article. Citing length-of-employment numbers doesn't prove
anything. There is a world of difference between upgrading your job from one
company to another or pursuing a different line of work of your own volition,
and losing your source of sustenance because your company has no money. Even
if 100% of employment changes in large companies were due to involuntary loss
of the job, it would _still_ be less risky than startups, because 3.4 years is
a hell of a long time to be able to survive in a cash-poor startup.

A startup means removing yourself from an established cashflow, reliable
funding, and steady paychecks. This _is_ risky, especially if you have
dependents.

If startups weren't risky, everyone would do them. The potential reward is
massively larger than an 8-to-5 at Megacorp. If the risk of a startup was the
same as being in an established company, then literally nobody of any
intelligence whatsoever would work at a large company, because the potential
payoff for a startup is orders of magnitude higher.

The idea that startups aren't risky (or that corporate jobs are just as risky)
is flat-out wrong, and is a dangerous thing to be telling to people who don't
otherwise know better.

Startups are wonderful. They cause massive, explosive personal growth and have
the potential for tremendous financial upside. They're also exceptionally
risky, which is a large part of the reason that the unfunded startup is
primarily the young person's game - once you have real-life responsibilities
like a spouse, children, a house payment, etc, it may not be an acceptable
one, unless you're prepared to sacrifice your house and your family's quality
of life in a worst-case scenario.

~~~
darrellsilver
Definitely agree with some of that. Telling people who "don't know otherwise
better" to do most anything is dangerous, let alone something as extraordinary
as changing their career.

My point is: For many, the most dangerous attitude to have about a so-called
"steady" pay check is that it will _remain_ steady, and that they'll _remain_
engaged in their work for years.

For many people, especially those early in their career, the biggest risk of
all is to not try new jobs, roles and challenges. Basically, becoming
prematurely specialized.

Startups, especially, are great at solving that risk, and thus lowering career
risk overall.

~~~
cheald
There's a large difference between "startups are not risky" and "corporate
jobs are not risk-free". I don't know that I'd call being "prematurely
specialized" a risk; it might reduce your total career potential, but if it
keeps food on the table and a roof over your head, that might be fine for some
people.

No job is risk-free, but startups are inherently risky, and moreso than most
other forms of employment.

