Took the $52k state job over the $71k startup gig in Austin and now I'm second guessing everything
Six months ago I had two offers on the table in the same week. The state job in Sacramento paid $52k with a pension, and the startup in Austin offered $71k plus equity, but the whole team was five guys in a coworking space. I went with the state job because the startup had only been around since 2021 and I got burned by a layoff before. Now my friend who took a similar startup role just posted about their Series B and I'm sitting here doing the same three reports every week. The money gap stings but the part that gets me is wondering if I traded growth for safety too early in my career. Anyone pick the stable path and regret it, or did the pension and 40 hour weeks end up being worth it?