I am currently under consideration for employment by a new start-up company in my area. It sounds like they are very enthusiastic about hiring me once I finish my degree in two weeks, and if hired, I will be the third employee.

I just wondered if anyone else has any experience with working for a brand new company. The owner says the company is going to take off in a couple of months when they go public with their first product. They currently rent office space, but are looking to grow in size and purchase their own office once they become profitable. Being one of the founding employees could be a great opportunity to grow with the company, or it could be a recipe for disaster. With a bigger company, at least I would have job security, but this is my only opportunity at this time. Thoughts?

 

The bigger telltale sign is what they sell. What kind of business is it? If you got good, heady employees with a good mind for marketing then you'll be fine. Think BIG!

 

Ask for stock options...

 

Well, my degree is a BS in Computer Information Systems with a minor in Information Systems Security. This company deals with credit card information security. Their product is a tool which large organizations will use to regulate and streamline their efforts to become PCI DSS compliant. PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, and this is basically a series of regulations which all companies handling payment card details must follow. Compliance is a requirement, and this company basically provides compliance assistance and compliance tools.

 

The benefits and salary are great for a first full-time job. I don't think I can really refuse.

 

Is it appropriate to ask prior to being hired? I think I should prove my ability first, before I can really be taken seriously. But I don't really know too much about how this stuff works...

 

^ regarding that, do they have the $ to become compliant? It takes alot of work to become compliant especially when dealing with CC's. The company I work for barely did that, and we have been in business since 2000...

side question: What position are you looking for? And what is your ultimate goal? I'm in IT and maybe able to help you out...

 

I work part-time covering all areas right now. I do web development, DBA, tech support, hardware installs. I would be happy to get into any of those areas full-time. I've been applying for developer and analyst positions. This particular position was labeled as "Security Analyst I". Ideally, I would like to get into I.T. with one of the big aerospace companies, but they rarely hire straight out of college. This position may be a good opportunity to get some real full-time work experience in the right field.

 

What is your financial situation?

Do you have a mortgage, family, lots of debt?

If you believe the company is going to take off, getting in at start-up is the best time to do so, especially if they are offering good money and benefits. Prove you're a good employee and an asset to the company and you'll do great.

On the other hand, it could be all smoke and mirrors. It could go belly up in a few months and you'll be out of a job suddenly.

Because you're young still, my recommendation would be make sure you have a few month cushion in your savings where if you get laid off, you can survive until you find a new job.

And because they company hasn't gone public yet, you can't really get stock out of it. Because the company only has a few employees, you could ask what their plan is for when they do go public. If it is a successful launch, you could get very rich. FYI, when google went public, every employee became a paper millionaire instantly because they took care of their employees.

 

just out of curiosity, what school are you going to right now?

 

No mortgage, no kids, zero debt. I worked for a couple of years to finance my degree ahead of time so I wouldn't be left paying interest on a student loan for the next 20 years. I'm almost out of disposable cash at this point, but at least I don't have many obligations to pay.

Worst case scenario, I can fall back into the position which I am currently doing part-time, and that should provide enough income to get by while I apply for something better.

I think I should take this opportunity right now. I couldn't really say if the company will succeed or not, but if it does succeed and I didn't take the job when it was offered, then I'll be left kicking myself.

DeVry in Sherman Oaks, w00t w00t. I have a couple of weeks left until my classes are finished. Graduation isn't until June, but for all intents and purposes I will be finished on the 20th.

 

ohh devry? sweet! my friend goes to devry too, except his is somewhere in walnut or something. congrats man! hope everything works out well

 

Your friend must go to the one in Pomona.