I used to work for a start up 3 years ago. They were later acquired by another company, and I left after that. There are pros and cons about working for a start up. If you are looking for more freedom to express your ideas and opinions, then you will enjoy more freedom with your ideas at a start up. However, depending on the compensation package and stock options, it is ultimately your decision if you want to take that leap.

Ditto. I have always loved working at startups--I've never had set times for working, have never had the same verbs day in and day out, have never had anyone question if I choose to spend my day surfing the web instead of working. Those sound like exaggerations, but they're not... because startups are a little like sales-departments--the only way they can survive is to judge you wholly on whether you get the job done at the end of the day. So if you're a guy who likes to work at 2am, that's your business. At the same time, you HAVE TO be someone who is looking for a lifestyle more than a job, because you have to be best friends with every person in the office or you'll never survive. I've never worked at a startup where we weren't expected to hang out 24/7, stay up all night quite often, and do a little bit of everything (a lot of everything.) If you're not entrepreneurial, don't even try. Don't think "I'm the accountant and they're the entrepreneurs." It doesn't work that way.