Anybody has any experience working at startups? How risky are they when it comes to job security?
11 replies (most recent on top)
Odds of Oracle going out of business in the next 5 years are low. Odds of any non-unicorn startup going out of business in the next 5 years are very high.
This matters to people who are looking for job security and longtime employment at one place. I call that stagnation and I believe that the people who look for that from a job are the people who hate working and are always looking for some way out of doing their work.
The nice thing about start-ups is that there is no extra baggage. Everyone must pull their weight. People can't lie about what they're doing because it is immediately obvious to everyone around them. Start-ups can't hire people who just want a job, any job, and don't care about anything.
That's why good people like to work in start-ups.... so they can work with other people like them who care about what is being developed. To people like that, there is nothing at Oracle for them, just boredom and people who are lying and cheating their way through the system to take a paycheck for something they hate doing and are really bad at.
Odds of Oracle going out of business in the next 5 years are low. Odds of any non-unicorn startup going out of business in the next 5 years are very high.
Compared to Oracle - anything is more stable. But you're asking the wrong question, it's not up to a company to give you stability - it's up to you to keep yourself marketable and move to jobs that meet your goals. No company can or should do that for you. Take responsibility for your career and don't expect a corporation to give you security.
This what is important. At a startup, you may not get security, or rest, but you will get EXPERIENCE, and in tech, that is what counts the most. While that startup is likely to go down the tubes at some point, you will have the experience the whatever new tech they are working on to put on your resume.
Also, I am one of those workaholics who enjoy working night and day and weekends, so that's not a problem for some of us.
After I was laid off in the summer of 2017 as a Core Tech database Sales Consultant, I got a job at a start up company that developed a NoSQL document database called MongoDB. I get paid more than I did at Oracle.
My stock options are through the freaking roof, literally over 10x in value! MongoDB runs in all the Major cloud providers AWS, Azure, GCP and does everything right. It did cloud the way Oracle should be doing, as a ubiquitous cloud offering.
I got a nice severance package, took a vacation and started a new job that pays well with 401k, a stock purchase plan and oodles of options. At the time it was a risk, I joined before the IPO. But I liked the technology and the people. No regrets!
You must look for startups that have inflow of funds and have been there for sometimes, else not worth it.
Startup are either eaten or die. If you want to be digested, or expire, work for a startup.
If you have to ask, sorry it is not a fit for you. Startup is about potential, possibility not stability. Very different culture.
Since you are implying that all startups are equal, here's your answer: Don't work for a startup. You won't get a paycheck, only equity, which will be worthless when the startup fails. You'll work 20 hours a day, weekends too, sleep under the conference room table, and they won't provide you with any benefits. You'll quickly tire of being crammed next to your co-workers all day, half of whom think showers are overrated. Got a family, a social life, or activities outside work? They'll be lucky to see you a few times a year. Like to work under deadlines? You'll fit right in when your founder non-stop harasses you to get something in shape to show your VCs. By tomorrow. You're welcome and happy startup'ing.
Compared to Oracle - anything is more stable. But you're asking the wrong question, it's not up to a company to give you stability - it's up to you to keep yourself marketable and move to jobs that meet your goals. No company can or should do that for you. Take responsibility for your career and don't expect a corporation to give you security.
There’s no such thing as job security. If your goal is to get in and coast until you reach retirement age then good luck. There’s no such thing
Or let me rephrase that: how do they compare to Oracle, with its less than stellar job security record?