Startups are just so darn fun
The hours are long. Things are always breaking. Chaos is constant. Heck, the company may not even be around in a year. What on earth could compel a bright young person to sign up for this?!
It's simple: Working at a startup is just so darn fun.
It's fun because meaningful responsibility is unavoidable. When I was hired at Topline Pro, I’d been coding for less than 9 months. Despite this, I was asked to build our entire Facebook integration on my own just weeks after joining.
It's fun because whether the company lives or dies is up to each of us. On a random Tuesday afternoon each of us can literally change the whole trajectory of the company. How hard we work, the decisions we make... everything matters.
It’s fun because we're encouraged to wear many hats. Officially, I'm a software engineer, but I also host the company podcast, I talk to customers ~once a week to help them through bugs, and I make cold calls whenever I get the chance.
It’s fun because of how deeply we all care. Whenever we’re together outside of work, inevitably the conversation will drift to what’s going on at Topline Pro. For people who hate their jobs, probably nothing sounds worse. For those who care, it’s the coolest thing.
It’s fun because of how fast we're able to move + iterate. I can think of a dozen cases off the top of my head where I've had an idea for something one afternoon, built it that night, and released it into the wild the very next day.
It’s fun because of the people. I get to spend more than half of my waking hours with the most outstanding people I've ever met. We're a gaggle of former fraternity presidents, matheletes, pressure washers, rugby players, and so much more... it's easily the most inspiring group of people I’ve worked with.