I agree with all the other posters. I'd like to add that this all depends on your own character and disposition. For some people being a cog in a wheel in an organization with 100k employees for 140k a year isn't worth even a fraction of the opportunity to learn, contribute and matter on a 5-10 people team for 50-70k a year. Others like the comfort of their 9-5 routine and of their 401k and might have all kinds of duties that make them a bad fit for a startup (for example a large family to support), in which case a startup might not be for you.