Thread by @eshear

When I was CEOing at Twitch one of the thing I’d do every batch of interns was a very short presentation on the origins of the company and then a Q&A. One of the questions was always, “Where should I work and what job should I get, or should I start a company?”

It’s an interesting question to try to answer for an intern I didn’t really know, because of course the actual answer is dependent on that person and their life. So I had to figure out how to articulate the framework I used.

First there’s money. Obviously you want money. But money is well-known for diminishing returns, after you have enough for rent and food and so on. So you don’t want to optimize for cash, it’s more of a constraint.

Then there’s prestige. How much will getting this job impress people? Prestige is mostly a trap, for the same reason designer clothing brands are bad deals: brand might make some less discerning ppl think better of you, but it won’t actually make you better or better off.

Power is also on offer. Usually called “impact” or “the chance to make a difference” or “mission”. We like power bc it feels good to wield, the pure joy of throwing a stone in a lake and watching the splash. And also bc we want to contribute to the future, we want purpose.

The problem with the opportunities for power on offer at the start of your career is that they are all borrowed power. You are being offered the ability to wield an instrument you don’t control in a direction you don’t choose. And in truth all jobs offer this!

So if they’re pitching you on power it’s usually a trick of some kind. They’re trying to convince you to accept less compensation in other ways by offering a mirage. Don’t be fooled!

The exception here is starting your own thing, or joining a very early stage project. That can offer real power, real impact. But it’s very risky and it won’t *feel* like joining the powerful and strong, it will feel like joining the small and weak (but hopefully nimble).

Another thing you can paid in is work. Fun work, interesting work, challenging work, unusual work. Work is valuable bc you can learn from it, and bc certain kinds of work can be their own reward.

Usually these two factors come together. Work is intrinsically rewarding when you learn and grow from it.
Getting paid in growth and learning is great bc it’s good for you, it makes you more valuable in the future and also improves your character.

Finally there’s opportunities for advancement. A career track. Certain jobs pay off in the right to take another more desirable job later; “partner track” at law firms is notoriously structured this way.

For a certain kind of person who likes competition with their peers more than anything else, who loves grinding to get ahead, I think this can be great. For most ppl I think tracks are also traps.

So I mean, of course it comes down to “know thyself”. But in general it seems clear ppl should satisfice for cash, optimize for learning/growth, and ignore everything else.
If you love knife fight competition, get a tracked job.

If you love economy-sized pain and feel like you have no other option, consider starting something. But don’t say I didn’t warn you about the suck. Here’s my startup advice if you decide to do that:

https://x.com/eshear/status/1402449647122018304