Since stock options and other forms of equity
Treat your career like you're surfing.
"Think of the industry as the place you surf ... and the company as the wave you catch. You always want to be in the place with the biggest and best waves," Schmidt and Rosenberg write.
Since stock options and other forms of equity are limited for newer employees anyway, the best investment you can make in your career is developing expertise in an industry that is transforming and growing.
"It's not just the internet companies that have a big upside, but also energy, pharmaceuticals, high-tech manufacturing, advertising, media, entertainment, and consumer electronics," they write. "But even businesses like energy and pharmaceuticals, where product cycle times are long, are ripe for massive transformation and opportunity."
Go with a company that understands technology.
Even if you're not going to work in Silicon Valley, you'll want to work at a company that knows where technology is going and what impact it is having and will have in its industry, since these will be the companies that thrive while others die or stagnate.
The authors say that a simple way to tell if a particular company "gets it" is to look at how it's adapted to industry changes in the past, as well as taking a look at the company's leadership. If a company's CEO has a history of entrepreneurship and tech, there's a better chance the company will be able to grow or remain strong.