# Full Walkthrough — "I'm thinking about dropping out of my CS degree to join a startup"

> **User input:** "I'm thinking about dropping out of my CS degree to join a startup full-time. The CEO offered me equity and a junior dev role. Help me think through this from first principles."

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## 【Phase 1: Problem Reframing】

You said "dropping out to join a startup" — before decomposing assumptions, let's make sure the question itself is correctly framed.

A few clarifications:

**What specifically are you choosing between?**
- A) A specific startup offer on the table vs completing your degree?
- B) The idea of startup life vs academic life in general?
- C) Escaping something about school you dislike, with the startup as an exit?

**Who framed this as a decision you need to make now?**
- Did the CEO give you a deadline?
- Did you create the urgency yourself?
- Is there external pressure (peers who dropped out, tech Twitter narratives)?

**Reframed core question:**

> "Given my current skills, financial situation, and risk tolerance, is joining this specific startup now — at the cost of delaying/abandoning my degree — a better path to my goals than completing the degree first? And do I have enough information to make this decision today?"

Does this capture what you're really trying to figure out?

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## 【Phase 2: Assumption Mining】

Here are the hidden assumptions embedded in your framing:

**Surface assumptions (obvious):**
- A1. A CS degree is just a piece of paper — the real learning happens on the job
- A2. This startup opportunity won't come again if I don't take it now

**Middle-layer assumptions (industry conventional wisdom):**
- A3. Early-stage equity is worth more than a salary
- A4. The startup world values skills over credentials
- A5. I can always go back and finish my degree later

**Deep assumptions (unquestioned beliefs):**
- A6. Working at a startup will accelerate my career faster than any other path
- A7. I'm ready for the intensity and ambiguity of startup work
- A8. The CEO/founder is competent and trustworthy
- A9. If the startup fails, the experience itself will be valuable enough
- A10. My excitement about this opportunity reflects genuine fit, not just novelty

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## 【Phase 3: Assumption Classification】

| # | Assumption | Type | Reasoning |
|---|-----------|------|-----------|
| A1 | A degree is just a piece of paper | 🟡 Convention | Was increasingly true 2015-2022 in tech; now shifting back as market tightens |
| A2 | This opportunity won't come again | ⚫ Interest-driven | The CEO benefits from you believing this. Urgency is a recruiting tactic |
| A3 | Early equity is worth more than salary | 🟡 Convention + ⚫ Interest-driven | Statistically, most startup equity becomes worthless. VC-backed mythology promotes this narrative |
| A4 | The startup world values skills over credentials | 🟡 Convention | True at some companies, but many still filter by degree, especially post-2024 hiring freezes |
| A5 | I can always go back and finish later | 🔴 Subjective belief | Based on intention, not evidence. Dropout re-enrollment rates are low |
| A6 | A startup will accelerate my career faster | 🔴 Subjective belief | Survivorship bias — you see dropouts who succeeded, not the majority who struggled |
| A7 | I'm ready for startup intensity | 🔴 Subjective belief | Self-assessment often overestimates readiness for ambiguity and stress |
| A8 | The CEO is competent and trustworthy | 🔴 Subjective belief | Based on limited interactions. Have you done due diligence on the founder? |
| A9 | Failed startup experience is still valuable | 🟡 Convention | Accepted wisdom in startup culture, but hiring managers increasingly want concrete results |
| A10 | My excitement = genuine fit | 🔴 Subjective belief | Excitement fades after 3 months. How do you distinguish excitement from novelty? |

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## 【Phase 4: Risk Matrix — Top 3】

| Rank | Assumption | Fragility | Impact | Risk Score | Verification Question |
|------|-----------|-----------|--------|------------|----------------------|
| 🔴 1 | A3: Early equity is worth more than salary | 4 | 5 | **20** | What's the company's current revenue? Runway? Valuation methodology? Have you had a lawyer review the equity terms? |
| 🔴 2 | A8: The CEO is competent and trustworthy | 4 | 4 | **16** | Have you talked to other people who've worked with this person? Checked their track record? Asked about previous ventures? |
| 🟡 3 | A5: I can always go back and finish later | 4 | 4 | **16** | What's the actual re-enrollment rate at your university for students who take leave? What would the financial and logistical cost be? |

**The uncomfortable truth you may not want to hear:**

A3 has the highest risk score. The equity you're being offered is almost certainly worth $0 right now. Over 90% of startups fail, and even among those that succeed, early-employee equity is often diluted through subsequent funding rounds. The CEO has every incentive to frame equity as "life-changing wealth potential" — because it costs them nothing to give you shares and it justifies paying you below market rate. **Have you actually run the math on what your equity would be worth under realistic scenarios?**

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## 【Phase 5: Reconstruction】

### Removing unverified assumptions, here's the rebuilt conclusion:

**Original thinking:** "I should drop out and join this startup for the equity and the experience."

**Rebuilt thinking:** "I should complete concrete due diligence on the startup (financials, founder track record, equity terms reviewed by a lawyer) before making any decision. In parallel, I should explore whether I can join part-time while finishing my degree, or negotiate a deferred start date. The urgency to decide RIGHT NOW is manufactured — if the opportunity is real, it can wait 2-4 weeks for me to verify."

### Cognitive Shift Comparison:

| Dimension | Original Thinking | Rebuilt Thinking |
|-----------|-------------------|------------------|
| Decision urgency | "I need to decide now" | The urgency is manufactured — add 2 weeks of verification |
| Equity value | "This could be huge" | Almost certainly $0 today; need to verify terms and scenarios |
| Either/or framing | "Drop out OR miss out" | Explore part-time, deferred start, or summer commitment first |
| Risk assessment | "I can always go back" | Re-enrollment is not guaranteed; quantify the actual cost |
| Information basis | Excitement + CEO's pitch | Due diligence on founder, financials, legal review of equity |

### If you don't have time for full reconstruction — the one thing to verify first:

> **Ask the CEO for the company's current revenue, burn rate, and runway. If they refuse to share basic financials with someone they're asking to bet their education on, that tells you everything you need to know.**
