This will be my first job out of PhD except internships. I have two options and I’m having a hard time making a decision. Option 1: FAANG Bay Area TC ~300-320 Pros: Many pros in the team, a lot to learn Good publication record of the team Cons: Fast paced, poor WLB Not a big fan of company culture Not sure if I’ll like the work Option 2: Big company, not FAANG East Cost smaller city TC ~200 + negotiation Pros: Their work sounds more fun Good external collaborations People are super nice Very good WLB, super flexible HM Cons: Little to no name brand of the group & company compared to FAANG Would it be hard to switch from Option 2 to a FAANG-caliber position if I want later on? What else I can consider when comparing these two options? Edit: When I account for cost of living, I am not so concerned about TC. #FOMO #offer #tech #researchscientist #newgrad
No, it won’t be hard to make the switch. Faang are constantly hitting up candidates like you—especially if you’ve received an offer but turned them down. Environment matters a lot to me, so if I were you I’d go with option 2.
Thank you, good point! I had a FAANG internship and poor WLB didn’t work well for me even though the work was super exciting. So I am cautious…
It just depends on if you value that extra 100K over WLB. I always thought research science was more relaxed compared to other roles.
Thanks! When I account for cost of living, TC is not super different. I am not so concerned about that. I value WLB but I also have FOMO lol :D I believe how relaxed RS are depends on the company and the team. This particular FAANG team is pretty ambitious.
Maybe try using the FAANG offer to negotiate with option B. If you’ve already done that I would go for FAANG because a) it’s a significant pay increase and b) you can always switch teams later to work on something you’re more passionate about. Just a caution, if you’re only joining a company because a job sounds interesting be aware that in rare occasions the actual job may be different than the one they sold you on. It’s unfortunate but happens.
Thank you, very good caution point! I looked into their publication records and public posts etc. but do you have any tips on how I can explore that further?
If you’re new I’d recommend FANG. Learn what works and what doesn’t there (ideally at multiple fangs) and use that knowledge to bootstrap your career. There’s a reason why they’re fang. Learn it.
Don’t do a poll since most blinders don’t have a PhD. Talk to your advisor- having a strong network of researchers as colleagues will tremendously help your career.
Get into FAANG and use the credentials to go anywhere you want.
Make a poll
I did, thanks!