Comment by break_the_bank | Hacker News Reader

Comment by break_the_bank | Hacker News Reader

1. Large scale impact : Your features reach billions of users

2. Compensation: The RSUs are real money, FANGs pay the best in the industry.

3. Job Security: FANGs have large cash reserves. There's lower likelihood of a FANG going under compared to an up and coming unicorn

4. Brand : Having a FANG on a resume helps you find jobs and possibly get investments. Notice how companies advertise as "We have engineers from Google, Facebook and Netflix" in their job posts

5. Perks like amazing health insurance, 401k match, free food etc

6. Mentorship: A FANG is likely to have more senior engineers, with experience. A startup is more likely to have younger folks. There's a lot to learn from people with experience in the industry.

On mentors, is it true that you’d be better off at a big company?

I’ve been looking for good mentors for years but have been stuck at startups. I worry that mentorship will escape me if I get on the wrong team at FAANG. I feel like this is the #1 thing limiting in my career. (Good guidance) I can’t imagine having a mentor who isn’t on my team who would actually want to mentor me.

Many large companies have structured mentorship programs, but this is mostly for onboarding. Your mentor will help you learn about the company itself, e.g. all the different internal practices, tooling, teams, etc. (This is nothing to sneeze at, given how big these orgs can be!) It may include some more general career development but this is often aimed at early-career folks.

For more general mentorship, especially as your career develops, it’s the same as anywhere, you have to find someone you get along with and who can help you learn. The advantage at a big company is that there’s a huge pool of potential mentors, and you can see their calendars and coordinate more easily than if you were hunting in the community. :)

A FANG won't go under but Job Security is safe per team or product, it is not unheard of that teams are let go when a product is canceled or a site is closed

Reply on news.ycombinator.com