What would you do?

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

• Beat

  Do what you think will make you the happiest. As long as you’re not living in a cardboard box, don’t worry about the money.

• little devil on left shoulder

  money can buy stuff, go for it!

• Ricky Cadden

  1. Given that you’re such a Nokia die-hard, I don’t think you’d be as happy with Helio. That’d be like me trying to sell RAZRs. Sure, they’re cellphones, but I hardly believe in the product.

  2. I think AT&T is a good call. Why? 1. They’re huge, which normally means better benefits and whatnot. 2. They’re also very heavily invested in their mobile arm. Sure, you won’t be working with it, but it’s ALOT easier to get promoted than it is to get hired. Case in point, when I started working at TWC, I had zero experience. I started as a lowly Sales Assistant, making less than I made at SC Kiosks selling cellphones in Abilene, TX. However, less than a year later, I’m an Account Executive selling cable advertising with an expense account and the ability to work from home. If I hadn’t started as an Assistant, they wouldn’t have had a chance to see my work ethic and quality of work and the like. Sometimes a toe in the air conditioning vent of the right building is better than a foot in the door of the wrong building.

• Derek Coleman

  AT&T will definitely beef up your resume for sure.

• lutzs

  Ever heard of Net Neutrality? AT&T cares a shit of this. Sure, they will pay more but i would never like to work for a company, that i don’t trust and that come in conflict with my morality…

• PhoneBoy

  Dude, that’s a tough one. Given all the pros and cons, I think AT&T would be a better call. Certainly more opportunity to move around once you’re in the front door.

• Soulman

  I am a product manager for a telco in europe – we are the incumbent with both fixed and mobile operations, soon 3G. Biggest mistake I made, legacy company’s such as ours carry a ton of process overhead that kill development and business opportunities. Only you know what you want to end up doing, but if its to be part of a vendor (for me its Cisco/Juniper) then get with the smaller nimbler company, you’ll be able to make a bigger impact there – once you find your way, get friendly with the product management team – thats where things happen.

  Pay your bills, have fun -

• Steve Litchfield

  I’d hang on and keep pestering Nokia. Nokia – you guys read RingNokia – FOR GOODNESS SAKE GIVE STEFAN A JOB – he’d be the most motivated employee/evangelist you’ve EVER had. Really. And I’d bet he’d move to Finland.

• Alexandru

  Well I guess it all depends on how long do you want to work there…
  I’d go for AT&T for the money and because selling IPTV and VoIP gets you to know a certain kind of people and their needs…and besides, VoIP might just be the next cellular(Fringgggg :p)
  On the other hand in a smaller company i guess the chances for a good career are bigger…
  I don’t like at&t either and i have nothing to do with them, living in another country but i know it’s history and i hate companies like that…but you can think of it like an experience…you extend your knowledge and when you find something better you just leave…

• James @ The Creative Life

  Don’t take either of them – keep on blogging and add advertising! Eventually Nokia will offer you a desk!

  ALWAYS follow your passion, everything else is a waste of time.

• Jonathan Greene

  Congrats on two offers with great companies. I’d say either sounds good though the ATT has the potential for a career maker. Helio is cool though and they are certainly pushing the frontier — even without Nokia handsets!! Your a tech guy, you can do either and be happy most likely and still find plenty of time to blog about Nokia which may come knocking some day anyway.

• Brendan

  If you are tight in your wallet, I’ll say go for the one that pays you well. And, do you think you will wake up every morning and be motivated in working with phones other than Nokia?

• geek

  Cash is king. Nuff said.

  Oh, yeah. Put some ads on your blog too. IMHO, if ads are audience appropriate, they aren’t obnoxious and can be welcome. If you are going to let anyone advertise (little blue pill), no thanks.

• geek

  Also, I’d keep my yap shut and not comment about job opportunities on my blog. Employers can google just like you and I.

• Stefan Constantinescu

  lutz: I hadn’t thought of that. Wow that does make Helio look a lot more attractive. Any company that messes with my net neutrality is a company I wouldn’t want to work for.

  phoneboy: you bring up a good point, but I was assured that there would be no interaction with the mobile group in my future.

  Steve Litchfield: I would move to Finland in a heartbeat. I really want to try reindeer meat and I have absolutely fallen in love with the Finnish accent. Thank you for the vote of confidence.

  James @ The Creative Life: I need a job and I can’t live off adsense. Rafe from All About Symbian helped me crunch some numbers the other night and figured I wouldn’t make more than $30 a day.

  Jonathan Greene: I certainly hope they come knocking on my door!

  Brendan: I’m certainly not starving. My mother would rather sell the house than eat subpar meals. Got to love European moms!

  geek: I made a promise to myself that I would never put ads on my site. What kind of man would I be if I broke that promise?

  To Everyone: Thank you for the feedback!

• geek

  What kind of man would you be? You would be a man with more beer in the fridge. Everyone likes that guy.

• Bernardo

  Hey stefan, sorry to say but that was a stupid promise. You know, we make them sometimes, we’re only human. Take that back, say you’re sorry and slap some ads on your site. You deserve to make an extra buck.

  Back to the job, I’ve never worked for these companies, but if I had to guess I would say:

  AT&T – Big company, huge dinosaur, very hard to make an impact and have your voice heard. However the cash and the benefits will be great and you will be taken care of. Good name on the resume and will help you get your foot on the door for other jobs.

  Helio – Small company, maybe has a start-up mentality to it, but still an operator nonetheless. Easier to make an impact, to make things happen. Will give you an opportunity for some consumer insight – what do people think when buying and using cellphones? On the other hand, it’s probably a big f*cking mess, everything changes every couple of weeks, you will probably feel some lack of resources to do your work etc.

• PlayerKill

  Huh?? What about Nokia? Nokia would be dumb if it doesn’t hire you, c’mon. I say you wait for Nokia .

  (I have absolutely no clue about these US companies.)