I’m at the point where I need to make a real decision—not the version I tell people in interviews, but the actual one for my life. I’ve narrowed my exit options down to three: corporate strategy at a big tech company, product management at a FAANG firm, or joining a Series B startup as an early strategy or ops hire.
On paper, they all look reasonable. The salary bands overlap enough. The prestige is there. But I’ve gotten burned before by making decisions based on what sounds good rather than what actually fits how I work and what I want the next five years to look like.
So I’m trying to map the real trade-offs. Corporate strategy at a big company—from what I hear—is a weird mix of actual strategy work and a lot of firefighting on quarterly initiatives. Tech PM sounds like it gives you more hands-on product leverage but maybe less strategic depth. And startups are obviously the highest variance—could be incredible learning, or could be a grind where you’re doing a little bit of everything and becoming great at nothing.
My consulting background gives me credibility in all three, but I honestly have no idea which one actually matches how I work best. Has anyone been in this exact three-way fork? What made the difference in your decision?
startups are a dice roll where u work 60 hours for 40k less to learn something the big companies already figured out in 2015. corp strat means ur slides matter more than ur ideas. PM at faang? safe but soulless after a few years. pick whatever lets u sleep at night and has a decent severance clause.
This is literally what i’ve been trying to figure out too. Would love to hear what actually pushed people toward one or the other. The startup thing sounds scary but also exciting?
The fundamental difference lies in control versus scale. Corporate strategy offers structural credibility and exposure to complex organizational problems, but your influence is heavily mediated by stakeholder alignment and political dynamics. PM roles provide clear ownership of specific products and direct user impact, but depth of strategic thinking can suffer in favor of rapid iteration cycles. Startups offer maximum leverage per dollar spent and rapid skill compounding, but survival risk is real. Consider what energizes you: solving organizational problems, optimizing user experiences, or building something from nothing under uncertainty. Your preference there drives the right choice far more than compensation does.
You’ve got genuine optionality here, which is awesome! All three paths lead somewhere good if you’re thoughtful. Trust your gut about which one excites you most.
I took the corporate strategy route at a FAANG and honestly? First year was mostly calendar management and stakeholder herding, but by year two it opened up. My friend went PM and said the opposite—year one was amazing, year two started feeling repetitive. The startup person I know is still grinding but owns way more of the vision. It really does depend on what you need at this point in your career.
lol this is getting real. so like what happens if u pick wrong? can u move between them or does it lock u in?
You’re not locked in! Any of these moves builds skills that unlock the other doors later. You’ll be fine with whichever you choose.