[leslyn]

I will encourage you to think about your day-to-day needs over time; Do you need predictability in your life? Do you need a lot of structure? Do you need lots of guidance? Do you need personal distance from co-workers? Are you a risk taker? And if so - what level of risk are you willing to assume? Will you regret missing the opportunity if your friend is very successful?

I spent 10 years in the Bay Area and now live outside of Philly.... I prefer it here. But, I believe that your 'roots' are where you are surrounded by people that love and support you. I would ask you why you've always wanted to live and work in the Bay Area? What is the attraction? Does it make sense to your other life goals?

Ultimately, I would encourage you to chase your deepest dream while you are 25 - it becomes harder as you get older and create more responsibility.

[dcpdx]

I am much more risk tolerant than most, as I gave up a $100K job to join the startup I mentioned a few months ago. The difference between that startup and this one is that I know one of the cofounders well, and both are very intelligent and accomplished (my friend is ex-McKinsey, the other co-founder is ex-McKinsey, Google, and Microsoft with a Harvard MBA). I definitely prefer a more unstructured, figure-shit-out environment which is one of the main reasons I left Shell in the first place.

Probably the biggest reason I would join Google is for the brand name (and, I think I will enjoy the work and the people too). Having Google next to your bio gives you instant credibility (like the quick summary of the co-founders above). The cofounders already have that, but I don't. The question is is it important enough to hinge a big decision on?

And as for why I want to live in the Bay area, I spent the last 4 months in SF and loved it. The weather, the people, the whole vibe are awesome. Plus my brother is now working in LA so we'd be close, although my parents are in Richmond, VA so I'd be closer to them in Pittsburgh.

Looming question at large: Is a brand name like Google necessarily better than being the first biz-dev hire at a promising startup? The startup isn't "sexy" like an airbnb, but they're already profitable and are getting more incoming leads each week which is great to see.

[dman]

I think you want to work at google to earn some credibility so that you can do what you really want. Why dont you skip one step and just directly do what you want - life is short.