Don’t work for a startup if you're this type of person
Don't work for a startup if you don't want to think about work before 8 am or after 5 pm. There simply aren't enough people to do everything that needs to be done in order to hit the aggressive goals, so a heavy workload is inevitable. It's not just the late nights in the office, it's sending out emails during happy hour, being distracted by endless to-do lists on Lyft rides, and minutes before falling asleep, Slack-ing with coworkers from bed who are doing the same.
Don't work for a startup if you're looking for a quick way to make money. Lots of it. Sure, a thousand millionaires were minted on the day of the Facebook IPO but let's face it, that's probably not going to be you. Not only do most startups fail, but even the "successful" ones don't create the financial windfall of Facebook or Google's magnitude. Most startups pay lower salaries than what tech giants can, and the tradeoff is the potential value of your stock options. They could very well be worth nothing in the end, and you should know that before taking the plunge.
Don't work for a startup if you want to keep the personal and professional completely separate. You can get away with it in corporations, keeping it "Strictly Professional." But in startups, your team are the people you spend most of your waking hours with. Not only that, they've made you laugh, seen you cry, and supported you as you were challenged beyond what you thought were your limits. These people aren't just co-workers; they're your friends, and some of them, probably for life.
Don't work for a startup if you're just looking to escape a crappy job. Ask yourself if you're really ready for the hours, the intensity, and how much you'll find yourself caring about work. When you feel stuck in an uninspiring workplace, the grass sure looks green on the other side with all the ping pong tables, free lunch, and beer pong tournaments. But in reality, startup life is more "work hard" than "play hard."
Don't work for a startup if you just want to be part of the "Next Hot Thing." Building a good business takes many years, and overnight sensations are largely a myth. Behind every unicorn are the quiet years of toil and grind put in by the employees. Some of the most successful companies were considered unsexy and unrealistic when they first started. But in the end, they outperform those with business models based on what was shiny and trendy at the time, e.g. "Uber for X".
Don't work for a startup if you find constant ambiguity unsettling. From day-to-day interactions to not knowing whether the company will exist in six months, you'll continually feel the lack of stability. Imagine you asked your boss a question and instead of an answer, she says, "I don't know, why don't you go figure it out?" How would you react? If you find sheer lack of direction daunting, a startup may burn you out. It's a cliché because it's true: at stchangeshe only constant is change.
Instead, work for a startup because it could potentially be the most fulfilling time of your professional career. With the right reasons and alignment, it could be a truly career-defining experience. One year at a scrappy, hyper-growth startup provides experience and learnings equivalent to a much longer tenure in a larger company. We idealize the huge IPOs and idolize the latest billion-dollar acquisition, but ironically, the best companies are largely built by teams who put in effort because they believed in something, not because they were chasing glory. Even startups that eventually shut down can offer employees unparalleled levels of growth, leadership opportunities, and expanded horizons. Whether or not the investors get their sweet exit, you'll gain some of the most memorable and fulfilling years of your life.
