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Ask HN: Starting my first job in a startup. Advice?

by momofuku on 4/29/23, 11:02 PM with 17 comments

• by paulcole on 4/29/23, 11:22 PM

  > I'm sure they had tons of better/experienced people to hire

  Maybe they saw potential in you. Maybe you’re cheap. Maybe you’re good at interviewing. Maybe they’re bad at hiring. Whatever the case is, they picked you so don’t obsess over reasoning you can’t possibly figure out.

  > What if I don't live up to their expectations?

  You’ll eventually get fired or you’ll get so miserable that you quit. But most companies don’t like firing people so they’ll give you second, third, fourth chances, etc.

  So ask for feedback. Ask your manager (not too often) what to improve on. Take positive feedback as positive feedback. Don’t obsess over whether they’re keeping something from you.

  > I've always had trouble drawing the line between work and personal life, how do I balance this

  Is this a remote job? If so, only you can make yourself stop working. In that case, you have to develop discipline. If it’s an office job, get in on time and refuse to stay after a certain time. Make up a lie about taking care of a relative or something if you have to.

• by toomuchtodo on 4/30/23, 2:57 PM

  1. Don’t dwell on this, just attempt to deliver. Most of life is luck and being at the right place at the right time.

  2. They’ll let you go if you don’t meet their expectations. Don’t take it too hard if it happens, it's just a job.

  3. If your health starts to decline, you start exhibiting signs of depression, or your personal relationships are materially suffering, reevaluate the role. Therapy or a new role are possible paths forward. If the expectations become unreasonable, bounce.

  4. See if you can do an 83(b) election with your equity. If you need an attorney reference to discuss your equity situation, I recommend George Grellas [1]. There is a cost, but it’s reasonable. More resources on equity here [2] [3].

  Squeeze the experience for everything it’s worth, that’s the same founders will be doing. Good luck!

  [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8327893

  [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28405708

  [3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2623777

• by ryanlime on 4/30/23, 9:21 PM

  Definitely understand the pre-job jitters and anxiety. I felt that a lot prior to my previous job and the impostor syndrome was heavy. Here are a couple of things that helped me: 1. During onboarding, keep a log of important things you learn and people you can contact about certain topics. Be sure to understand how you can seek help, where you can seek help, and who you can talk to.

  2. Understand that they picked you after the interview process which means they see the potential in you. Instead of thinking: “what if I don’t live up” why not reframe it as “what can I do to live up to what they want and what I want for myself” 3. Set boundaries clearly and utilize tools to help you do this: for example, schedule off slack notifications after 5 pm, let your coworkers know hours you’ll be online and how quickly they can expect you to respond during work hours and that when off work you won’t respond, plan stuff deliberately after work so you’re busy and can’t answer anyways

  You got this! Feel free to message if you have any other questions

• by JoeAltmaier on 5/2/23, 2:36 PM

  The first rule of effective development is, if you are blocked or stuck or don't know what something means, speak up! To dither and delay is to create a problem later, when there's no time left to fix it. Delay turns an issue into a problem or even a catastrophe.

  Time is your most critical asset in a startup.

• by MilnerRoute on 4/30/23, 3:00 AM

  The very best thing you can do when you're young -- once you've paid off all your interest-carrying debts -- is to set aside some money in an IRA or Roth IRA. (And prepare to just let it sit until you retire.)

  It will double in value about once every 10 years. So if you're 25, then by the time you're 75 $2,000 becomes $64,000.

• by fmerian on 5/2/23, 2:34 PM

  first, congrats :)

  I've been working in early-stage startups for 10 years, and here are my principles to fully enjoy the experience:

  1: focus // keep the focus on your objectives and results. in a fast-growing environment, you can work on multiple projects. your priority is to reach your goals, get the job done, and make the company grow.

  2: ship it // you may have to go beyond your primary missions as described in your job description. learn to learn, learn to dare, and stay curious.

  3: your point of view matters // share your thoughts in full transparency. constructive feedback helps the team grow. no matter what the topic is, your work matters.

  hope it helps! enjoy!

• by gus_massa on 4/30/23, 1:39 AM

  If they promised you equity, get that in written.

• by markus_zhang on 4/30/23, 1:53 AM

  If you get any equity or options ask a lawyer to explain it and the related risks.

• by ezedv on 5/4/23, 1:53 PM

  You were hired for a reason, you got this!

• by DanielRaid on 4/30/23, 11:49 AM

  Try to leverage on founder's network and meet more people.