[m12k]

I started my career in a startup, then did a two year stint in an established company and I'm now back in another startup. I got significantly better at reading code and debugging at the bigger company, but I didn't enjoy being a small cog in a big machine as much. I think it's good for people to get some experience with both - but I don't see why the order is important. I would argue that a startup, if it's successful, will soon enough grow big, so you can get to try both that way, and if it crashes and burns, an established company is a great place to land when things get chaotic (and in my case, to cool my feet and get my bearings before jumping into the next startup adventure).