[rwhitman]

Thanks for that!

Yea the cash-eating qualities of NYC have kept me dealing with job hunt from the economic safety of my family home 3 hours away in PA. Not so easy to do under 2ft of snow ;)

Definitely a little wary of super early startups if only for the inevitable bubble pop. Under-capitalized and in a competitive talent market is a surefire pathway to quick collapse when the investment starts to dry up...

[nir]

Good thinking. Like anything in NYC, startups tend to get overhyped and there's a lot of dumb money from rich kids or people who had a good run at finance etc. I wouldn't work for below market wage in this kind of economy.

When the bubble pops, you can use your savings and take advantage of the lower costs (and the fact you might not have a job anyway..) to start your own thing.

(Edit: I guess the downmodding means I need to add some disclaimers here... There are also smart rich kids and ex-bankers. Sometimes working for under-market wage does make sense, eg. if you're trying to break in to a new field. Some things are not overhyped in NYC. Your dreams may vary from those of Globex Corporation, its subsidiaries and shareholders)