Is it Time for You to Earn or to Learn?

http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2009/11/04/is-it-time-for-you-to-earn-or-to-learn/

by alexjmann • 17 years ago

131 6 17 years ago

swombat• 17 years ago

Excellent article, shame it's not getting more upvotes.

I went and read it because you're one of my favorite posters/commenters, and really enjoyed it and learned - so thank you.

The title is underwhelming though. The piece is a lot better than the title - author does realistic math on the range stock options are likely to be worth, then discusses whether it makes sense to jump into a risky venture with a chance of a big win, and talks about what to look for in more stable learning gigs if you're not going for a big win. Then he tells some stories, and he also mentions some nice specific points to think about ("accelerated vesting on change of control" - that one seems very important to me after reading this).

So yeah, very good piece, underwhelming title, but it's definitely worth a read.

maurycy• 17 years ago

Earning can give you a different perspective that improves your knowledge on what to learn.

duh• 17 years ago

> If you really want to earn you need to be in the top 3-4 in the company. Best to be a founder.

The most important line of the article. If you're not on the conference calls and meetings that involve money, you're a sucker. They are hiding things from you.

Work a 9-5 and "learn" on your own time - or better yet, learn as part of the job where you're paid what you're actually worth. Many developers need to learn how to grow a spine and not work to make other (startup) people rich.

Likewise, if you work a 9-5 and don't have time to "learn", you're a sucker. What the HELL (!!!) are you doing working your ass off for a megacorp? This is something of a false dichotomy.

neilc• 17 years ago

> If you're not on the conference calls and meetings that involve money, you're a sucker.

The article's point is that if you want to make enough money to retire, you're not going to do that with << 1% equity vesting over four years. That does not mean you're a "sucker"; you just need to be taking a job like that for the right reasons.

> learn as part of the job where you're paid what you're actually worth

For many of the jobs in question, we're talking about significantly more than $100,000 annual salary, plus stock options and benefits. For most people, that's not exactly being screwed.

alexjmann• 17 years ago

There is so much career crap that comes through the internet, and this is the most practical piece I've read in a long time. So many decisions can be concluded by simply asking the question of the post title.

The best one to make, I assume, is if you can both earn and learn.

Is it Time for You to Earn or to Learn?

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