Career Priorities List

We walk through the many different priorities that can shape which company and team are truly right for us, and why this makes the choice so hard.

Here are the core points from the lesson:

• We list 14+ possible priorities—compensation, work-life balance, company prestige, supportive team, growth opportunities, stability, maximum outcome (upside), remote work, product space, company ethics, technical space, title, benefits (like parental leave), and location—showing how many different axes there are to optimize for.
• We explain nuances within each priority: for example, early-stage startups can offer huge upside but high risk, big tech often offers more stability but lower ceiling, and team makeup/scope can make or break growth even inside a good company.
• We emphasize that the macro environment (economy, industry turbulence, company-specific churn) must be considered alongside our personal priorities when evaluating offers and career moves.
• We share that we have strong opinions and heuristics, but the goal is for each of us to examine and “stack-rank” our own priorities, test our assumptions, and disagree deliberately rather than blindly following default paths like “just go to FAANG.”