Three proven paths for exiting bureaucracy and fixing government through technology

I love the government, which is why I work in tech.

I was a senior in high school when 9/11 happened. I made my decision to pursue a job in national security and counterterrorism after graduating from Georgetown. Several years into the work, my passion for the mission remained, but I felt trapped by bureaucracy, paralyzed by Washington culture, and — let’s be real — pretty disappointed by the lack of James Bond-like technology.

That’s when I found a crazy start-up called Palantir. With a vision for revolutionizing data analysis, they attracted incredible talent, nurtured a fast-paced work ethic, and tolerated absolutely no bureaucracy. It only took a couple of meetings with the team to realize the opportunity this company had to impact the war on terror far outsized what I had been working on. So I joined them.

Six years of rapid growth later, Palantir was one of the most important — and valuable — private technology companies in the world. I transitioned into venture capital in order to find other companies addressing problems in government, and I began a long, strange sidequest: meeting with folks looking to make the government-to-tech transition.

Now, there’s an old maxim that says you can always tell which industries are overheated by watching where Harvard Business School graduates coalesce (like frenzied blood cells to a gunshot wound). This is equally true of government officials who tend to wait until “the party” is already raging to arrive, wondering why they didn’t get an invite.

But in 2015, saying you want to work in tech is a bit like saying you want to have a job that pays a salary. If you’re only looking to transition into the industry due to some colossal case of FOMO, do us all a favor and stay home. If, however, you’re an idealist looking for a way to actually accomplish the goals the government has purportedly set out to, you belong here, and it’s possible to find a fit. But there are right ways and wrong ways to go about it.

Most importantly, care about something. Silicon Valley is driven by passion. Wanting to be a part of the industry in general means nothing. Find a small handful of companies you’re really excited about and learn everything you can about them. Build a narrative around what you think is broken in government or with an industry, and why Silicon Valley — with your help — can help solve the problem. Be ready to have an honest conversation about your government experience: tease out the good where possible, focus on what needs reform, and don’t use buzzwords or jargon. If you know your area, sound like it. “That’s classified” is a non-starter.

Once you’re dedicated to solving a problem, there are basically three ways to enter the industry:

1. Found your own company.

There’s no better way to control your own destiny than to create it. There are a number of examples of successful founders coming out of government service. Most of these companies identified huge problems in government and are working to fix them. If you’re fed up with the drudgery of your government job, figure out what the problem is and whether or not you’re uniquely suited to fix it. (Hint: If you’re not sure, then you’re probably not.)

2. Join an established company.

This is usually the most direct way to leverage skills that you have developed during government service. Most of these larger and more mature companies have built boundaries between different sectors of their business, which is important, because like it or not, your talents (unless in engineering) probably aren’t good for company culture. Winning companies, generally, are not built around people that are really good at navigating bureaucracies. They are built around engineers, innovators, and risk-takers, who by and large, distrust politicians, lawyers, lobbyists, regulators, and bureaucrats.

That said, your expertise will be helpful at the right stage in a company’s life cycle. Uber, Airbnb, Facebook, SpaceX — at all of these companies, the government relations and legal teams are separate from core operating functions such as engineering, product design, etc., yet the teams understand the technologies, understand the business end-game, and “get” the culture of their respective companies. That’s key to their success.

3. Check your ego at the door and join a start-up.

This is oftentimes the best way to be core to the culture and business of a tech company, and it is the route that I chose. In general, the worst thing you can do is waltz into a tech interview and tell an engineer or founder that your deep experience in Washington is what will make or break their company. You will have ample opportunities to use your government-developed skills, but don’t make them central to your contribution.

Figure out how to translate these skills in ways that are uniquely important to the business. Get as close to the product as you can. Are you a skilled networker/communicator? Build a role around interfacing with customers using the product and demonstrate your expertise. Are you a clever program manager? Carve your niche around product design or engineering management. Most importantly, what have you done that demonstrates your ability to effectuate a desired outcome? How have you innovated?

Broadly speaking, for any of the above options, work to understand what engineers do, and learn the vocabulary. Buy an Arduino kit, install a Linux build for penetration testing and start looking at your home network traffic, and impress the data scientists by learning how to write a decent SQL query to pull your own data. Just like commissioned officers need to understand what it’s like to be an enlisted soldier going through basic, you should know what it means when a software engineer says they started with BASIC. No work should be beneath you. You’ll likely be building a lot of IKEA furniture, pulling Red Bull-fueled all-nighters, and learning how to play Halo.

Whatever approach you take, the best companies will likely have no idea how to use you. But that’s only because everything in technology is new. Your job, now, is to participate in that conversation. What’s the world supposed to look like? Fantastic. Now tell me how to build it.

Trae Stephens is a principal at Founders Fund. Previously, he was one of the earliest employees at Palantir Technologies. He has worked within the U.S. Intelligence community and as an adjunct in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. You can share feedback with him on Twitter.

Originally published at www.washingtonpost.com on September 2, 2015.