HACKER Q&A
📣 a-ponderer

Government vs. Industry


Hello! I'm a university student just finishing up an ML research internship with a government contractor and I am desperate for advice. Most career advice I see is geared towards maximizing comp, which is definitely nice and all, but I find I relate better with what I imagine are the hackers of old, with their slightly irrational passion, creativity, and taste for the eccentric. Working for the government was an awesome experience; it is the closest I have gotten to what I imagine bell labs was like.

I'm wondering, though, what am I missing? Working for a startup sounds like so much fun, especially since I love wearing many hats and the idea of constantly learning about unrelated foci. In addition, it seems like FAANG companies advertise something similar by allowing employees to choose their work. However, I also see many posts about startups' financial downsides. In addition, if what I hear is true, corporate politics and being locked in perpetual competition (FAANG) does not sound appealing.

My question is, how do I separate signal from noise? As more and more people enter the field for the money, I wonder if their experiences bias their views on the industry. Where can someone passionate about their work thrive?

  👤 giantg2 Accepted Answer ✓
In the government area, sometimes policy is prioritized over the mission. You can end up changing directions or jumping through hoops for basically no reason at all. My coworker told me that he worked for the government in a situation like that and the policies and procedures can kill your productivity and freedom. You still have competition in government contract companies to find a program to work on when your current one is winding down.

I haven't worked for a startup nor know anyone who has. I will say to stay away from large non-tech companies. I've see a lot of issues at my current company. You'll end up working on boring stuff like reports for the business quite often. Management and the business generally talk a big game but have no idea what they are doing. Half the time you can't get a process map or detailed requirements for an existing business process because the business doesn't know what they do or how to explain it.

👤 scott31
Which country?