[tw1912112]

I have been a founder, and a employee at a big tech. Although the company did not brought fame / recognition, as a founder, it was really good financial outcome (about 8x of what I would have earned as a employee.)

As an employee at big tech, I think being a founder made me a really good employee. I was able to communicate much better for my level, and had developed pretty good business sense which comes quite handy when prioritizing.

In general though, it's not a easy switch from a long term career prespective. Corporate world is notorious bad at lateral hiring, and much worse at promoting high performing employees. If you really want to scale the corporate ladder then it's best to play the singular game and start as early as possible.

I don't think either of them is better or worse, I find it more like a treasure hunt. When I was a founder, my dating life was near non-existent, my productivity was short lived and heavy on administrative work. As an employee in a big company, you can meet potential mates at work/outside, although you are not doing a lot of work, it's generally quite focussed and productive in your speciality. Both of them are good, what you make out of them is upto you!

[sammi43243]

Thanks for the perspective. Given the relative success financially of being a founder, combined with what seems like a period of sacrificing life outside of work, do you regret the being a founder? i.e. looking back would you do the same thing again?

[tw1912112]

I don't regret, and I did leave the big tech after a few years to build another company with some of my colleagues that I met. Since I started the company quite early in my career (about 12 months out of college), I think building the company gave me focus in my early 20s which would have otherwise spent with video games / internet / counter productive things. The added advantage was that I committed fairly costly mistakes but the cost was discounted since they occurred pretty early on in life. I do have slight regrets around how I treated some of my co-workers, including people who were more powerful than me, and I think being a founder early on without the right level of maturity was rather depressing, so yes, I would start a company after a year of employment and some built up savings but do it with more maturity and self awareness.