Does forming a start up company after graduation look bad on a resume?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I graduated in December 2012. Me and three of my friends formed a small start up company in electronics & software. None of us are getting paid, as our prime investor only funds us in supplies and equipment.</p>

<p>Now, rather than going straight into industry, does working for/forming a start up company right after graduation look bad on a resume?</p>

<p>I mean, I assume that as long as it is engineering related and you're using engineering skills within the start up it wouldn't be a problem.</p>

<p>However, I'm not exactly sure how future employers will look at this 9 month time period on my resume. The way I see it, future employers will:</p>

<p>A) Think I couldn't get a job after graduation or I wasn't hireable so I had to do a start up company for the last 9 months.</p>

<p>B) Have leadership, initiative, and ambition to partake in a start up. (Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg mindset)</p>

<p>C) Too lazy to job hunt so I settled for something "easy". (People assume start ups are easy, but they are in fact, very time consuming and at times very stressful.)</p>

<p>So what do you say engineers??? A, B, or C?</p>

2

<p>I honestly don’t think people would think A or C. It takes some ******* to try the field like that. I wouldn’t act at all like it was a bad thing. It’s not. Speak with confidence, and people will reciprocate.</p>

3

<p>Thanks Chucktown. </p>

<p>I only thought A and C because my family keeps pressuring me to get a job and “make a lot of money” so they are a little against me doing the start up. Then there’s some peers who collect internships as if they were pokemon cards, so they too advice me to “get a real job”.</p>

<p>Anyone else have some input?</p>

4

<p>@peterhax,</p>

<p>In my experience, people who start their own companies get a lot of respect from future employers, especially if the companies are successful (profitable, positive cash flow, very satisfied customers, etc.). There will always be people who think negative thoughts about entrepreneurs, but if you are really passionate about your company, you shouldn’t worry about them. Good luck in your venture.</p>

5

<p>I don’t see how that would look bad at all.</p>