"read the options agreement carefully and ensure your interests are well protected."
It's worth noting that, in nearly all cases, you will not receive an options agreement until well after you have accepted the offer.
I've never tried to ask for an options agreement prior to accepting an offer, but I'd imagine it would be a very difficult thing to get at most companies.
...or maybe you've quit another job, or moved across the country, or any number of things that aren't easily reversible decisions. Not everyone is 20 years old, single and childless.
Point is, negotiate a salary that meets your needs, and treat the stock options like lottery tickets, because that's what they are.
If you are 20 years old, single, and childless, you still shouldn't rely on options in a non-public startup to fund yourself; your age, marital status, and children or lack thereof don't have any bearing on the fact that those options are a “maybe someday worth something" thing, not something with any reliable value or time when they will be liquid.
It's worth noting that, in nearly all cases, you will not receive an options agreement until well after you have accepted the offer.
I've never tried to ask for an options agreement prior to accepting an offer, but I'd imagine it would be a very difficult thing to get at most companies.