Congratulations on your gift. 

I've had phases in my life where I was trying to climb the corporate ladder and treated it as a competition. This has always led to me being unhappy. 

On a [podcast](https://open.spotify.com/episode/4OZ13xATEfky3bosUmYfdV?si=WjT82LUxQtK9Nxcb_UDBFQ&t=4&context=spotify%3Aepisode%3A4OZ13xATEfky3bosUmYfdV) today I heard the founders of Oxide talk about one of their favorite questions to ask candidates is "tell me about a time you were happy at work" and they said they have never heard anyone give the answer "when I got promoted" and that resonated with me.

My main motivation now is my family. I am fortunate to be in a high salary job that allows us to live a comfortable life with the flexibility of working remote. My other motivation is curiosity. Wanting to understand how things work is what led me down the path to being a software engineer.

Senior Software Engineer at Compass

Frank DelPidio

Why do you want to work at the startup?

If you can demonstrate passion for the problem they are trying to solve it may be easier to stand out compared to large companies.

In my experience, the CEO/Founder is very involved in the hiring process for small startups. I  try to think about things from the reverse perspective. If I was trying to hire someone for my company, what would I value? I would value someone who has the skills to help me solve my problems and someone who cares about the product/problem I am solving.

A good cover letter or even directly reaching out on LinkedIn or X can help you understand their current pain points and how you can help.