What working for a startup will teach you
Beyond corporate and code.
In the summer of 2019, fresh off the boat from India to Melbourne, while I was still acclimatizing to the slangs and beaches. I interviewed at fieldd.co.
Little did I know, it would turn out to be the roller coaster I wouldn’t want to get off. It is my first start-up experience, which is also probably the reason why I hold it so close to my heart. Here are the things I learnt (outside of my core responsibilities) after a year at fieldd.
Faith
Imagine being on a ship no coast in sight and no navigation experience. What do you do? Have faith in the captain. Pull up those pants, trust the vision, and ROW!
Optimism
This bad boy is the perennial attribute of anyone in who romanticises changing the world and solve problems, coding 18 hours a day from a hot desk in a co-working office.
Bonding
If you win you are going to be millionaires, if you lose you will have friends for a lifetime. The bond built through adversity is the toughest to break. What an infinite number of corporate retreats have aimed to do, is what a single code sprint does for the employees of a start-up. Sharing a vision never fails, trust falls might!
Money matters less
While jobs translate to money, like seeking growth translates to seeking more money and like dissatisfaction is borne out of the lack of it. At an early stage start-up, it is not the driving force. You may make the argument, that it might be the end goal. But my point is, it’s not the money that’s getting you into the office every day, and there is value in that, dropping a few ounces of that greed.
Hustle
Although this word has been abused in the context of start-ups, it still holds value. You are able to define it beyond that lock screen wallpaper, or that coffee mug. You learn to do it, be it. Hustle for me defines ‘I can and I will’
Grit
While the time to market for that new feature in the product would be super short. It takes a long time, possibly years to redemption. But you run, as hard as you did on day one, every day!
Transparency
Although it may vary depending on the leadership, I still believe hierarchies are truly flat and open at a start-up. You know your burn rate like you know your product, irrespective of your role at the organisation. It works both ways and surprisingly, it's one of the most cherishable aspects of the experience.
Success
You tend to fantasize of a Big bang, one where millions of dollars will emerge from ashes and set you up for retirement. And in time you realise how immaterial that would be and that’s when you start enjoying happy customer emails. Small wins lend a hand in making that bang happen. Like the business, success pivots as well, and you with it.
Choosing your critics
Even if you have built the mother of all systems, with the most flawless design, there is going to be one user, who would be unhappy about the time showing up in 12 Hour format! You learn to pick through tens of critics to the ones you would want to call your customers.
Empathy
Given we work with a small set of early adopters, listening in on their requests, brings in a sense of understanding and empathy, like no other. That’s when you code like your life depends on it.
It's an experience that adds character to a personality.
Fin.
