1/ Working at a big established company is great, but comes with dangers.
The biggest danger is that you exercise the wrong muscles— big cos force you to do all isolation exercises. Obscure muscles that are sometimes just for show. They usually don’t make you strong.
The biggest danger is that you exercise the wrong muscles— big cos force you to do all isolation exercises. Obscure muscles that are sometimes just for show. They usually don’t make you strong.
2/ Working at a startup is like compound exercises that give you functional strength you can actually use, like deadlifts, squats, and kettlebells.
If you want to learn how to make something from scratch and ship it, the best way to do it is to learn by doing.
If you want to learn how to make something from scratch and ship it, the best way to do it is to learn by doing.
3/ It also helps to lift with people who are clearly good at it. The best way to start a career is rarely starting a startup, but actually working at a fast growing startup that makes a great product you respect.
It’s like learning perfect form so you can lift heavy later.
It’s like learning perfect form so you can lift heavy later.
4/ My favorite mental model for new engineers just graduating re: working with big cos vs startups is from @aaroniba — Do you want to write new code and solve new problems, or do you want to maintain old code? Big cos are the latter, no matter how flashy their HR materials sound.
5/ Finally: solving big problems early matters. Being able to make the best world-class products sometime during your career is a lot easier if you start climbing the learning curve as early as possible.
Compound interest applies to ability to build things too.
Fin
Compound interest applies to ability to build things too.
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