Why I Hate IT/Startups, reason #23363412
Found randomly on the Q&A section of a startup-focused career website:
Questioner: I have an BS and MBA with 15 yrs of varied work experience including process engineering, project management, online marketing…I’ve been in the internet space since 2000 and love it. But I’m continually bored in large companies. I’m thinking of rounding out some skills in product marketing, product management, or business development as I research startups in the Seattle area. Thoughts?
Leading Answer: My first thought, as an entrepreneur myself, is “This guy is going to cost too much money and not know how to take out the garbage.” That’s the perception you’re going to have to combat against… and the best way to do it is to just start helping early stage startups. Donate your time. Run some events to help startups with the problems you see based on all your experience. Start blogging, Twittering, and offering your advice to ideas and companies you find really interesting. Get to the point where you’re providing so much help to a company that they can’t not hire you to join them.
BV’s answer: It’s tough to know what question is being answered here: “What skills should I have if I want to get a paying job at a startup?” or “What is the easiest way possible to contribute to a startup company regardless of salary?” I understand the wisdom of the advice from a long-term perspective… it’s the most reliable step, by far, to gaining enough experience to be attractive on the job market. However, working for free is a strong indicator to a company that you will continue to work for free. You call it “donation”, I call it “whoring yourself out.” I have found that there is no bargaining chip other than another job offer that is otherwise persuasive - and usually the decision at that point is to find another “volunteer”. Also, this is telling someone with an MBA and 15 years experience that they should consider what amounts to being an internship. Aiieeee…
If the US job market were not already complete nonsense, this advice would be completely bunk. Yet it’s a buyer’s market out there for employment, and has been for this entire decade, so these companies can get whatever they want, and if they’re shrewd about it they can pay little or nothing for it, with no argument from anyone about it. The above advice is fairly accurate, but the situation is depressing…
