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Just want to get some opinion on what do you guys think of working for a startup company vs working for a large corporation. Which one do you prefer? Would you give up a high paying job to join a start up company?
Just want to get some opinion on what do you guys think of working for a startup company vs working for a large corporation. Which one do you prefer? Would you give up a high paying job to join a start up company?
Startup = More room to grow. Hours can be hell. Sometimes ridiculous and random raises. I worked for a small company and my boss gave me a $5000 raise to buy a new car! Higher yearly raises. If you play the game right, you could be a VP and head of a division starting up in a new city. Downside - you could be laid off at the drop of a hat even if you are a great worker if business is doing poorly. Somebody with 10 years less experience than you could be making lots more than you if he plays the game well.
Large Corporation = Less room to grow in the short term, but more varied and interesting projects to work on. Hours are more standard and overhead billing is common. Usually friendlier, more laidback (less backstabbing) coworkers. Lower raises if at all. People who play the game better will still make more, but the dichotomy will be lesser here. You will generally be paid by experience. May still get laid off, but you will see the writing on the wall a lot sooner and you'll be more likely to survive here if you are a good worker.
This is just my experience in my industry. I personally prefer large corporations. You can fly under the radar a lot easier yet still work hard and be appreciated. At small companies, there is so much office politics and if you don't get along with someone, it will be magnified.
I've worked at two start-ups over the last 4 years. I also interned at a huge advertising agency while still in college.
The upside to working for large organizations is that they're well-structured, have in place clearly-defined guidelines, and tend to offer better benefits. If you're risk-averse and value security above all else, a larger organization might be a better fit. The downside is that they get bogged down in bureaucracy. Oftentimes you'll have to attend utterly pointless meetings and seek approvals for virtually everything from office supplies to computer maintenance.
Still, I think the cons for start-ups far outweigh those posed by larger organizations. I've been at my two-and-a-half-year-old start-up for more than two years now and am still waiting to receive a job description. Expect your tasks to change weekly, if not daily. As is the case with other start-ups, my company has no precedent to fall back on, so the company's structure (or lack thereof) depends largely on (1) whatever fad the company President decides to embrace next (2) what our competitors are doing. Start-ups generally require longer hours than their corporate counterparts, especially if they're still in a launch phase. Guidelines and training are non-existent at my company; things are always done in fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants fashion and employees are left to sink or swim when it comes to learning new software, etc. On the other hand, the fact that there's little-to-no structure at smaller firms means employees have greater latitude to take on more responsibilities and ultimately make a bigger impact.
I am in no way saying that the above describes ALL corporations and start-up companies. I'm sure other factors, including the specific industry,workplace culture and people you report to have to be taken in account.
As for me, I'm looking to transition back to a larger company. I plan to marry my girlfriend in the next 2 years, so job security has certainly taken on added importance. Wearing multiple hats has lost its luster and it's about time I looked for a more specialized role.
Last edited by Wordsmith12; 08-10-2011 at 04:56 AM..
Startup
Good - Potential to make a difference. With a startup, your actions are going to carry more weight and influence simply because there's a lot less of you. There's also not as much hierarchy established, so the top boss is more likely to be able to see your progress.
Bad - Long hours with probably no extra compensation for it (i.e. overtime, comp time). You'll also be in a more "jack-of-all-trades" position, so you may find yourself doing work outside of the job description. If the employer is super cheap, then you'll find it very difficult to request things that may be needed to do the job on a day-to-day basis. If the startup is relatively new (only a year or two), then you may be the only guy working in that department (such as IT).
Large Corp
Good - More specialized work with a larger employee base. Hours will probably be much more regular and a large company looks good on your resume.
Bad - You're essentially a cog in the machine. There's much more bureaucracy overhead. Neither a startup or a large corp provides a guarantee for employment and both can lay you off quickly for different reasons.
I've worked for both and am currently working for a start-up. Long hours, but I wouldn't necessarily say the pay is worse (I'm actually making more than I was at a large corporation, and I was paid well there). Echoing what everyone else has said. More freedom, less bureaucracy, longer hours, but more personally satisfying.
It's funny my experience is fairly different than others' here. I interned at a small company of 4 engineers and a receptionist in college. Rarely did anyone work more than 50 hours in a week (except the president) and the employees always raved about excellent benefits. I never asked about salaries but us interns got paid a decent hourly wage.
I did work for a small-medium company right out of college that was pretty bad. Lots of freedom to get your job done, but ridiculous hours and terrible compensation (despite good benefits) drove me away. Also there was no opportunity to have a mentor of any kind because everyone was so busy. 401k profit sharing was kind of nice but I lost it when I left.
I now work at a medium sized company that is owned by a large corporation. The hours are regular but pretty long (50/week on average, some weeks a bit longer, no overtime) and the benefits are barely mediocre. Raises have been pretty tiny, no profit-sharing or bonuses. I have learned a lot here though and enjoy the work.
Each company has its own identity, you would do well to investigate by talking to people about the company culture.
Just want to get some opinion on what do you guys think of working for a startup company vs working for a large corporation. Which one do you prefer? Would you give up a high paying job to join a start up company?
Depends on the ownership/stock options offered by the start-up, whether it is going to IPO, and how much I believe in the eventual success of the start-up.
I have to preface this with the fact that I did this in the late 90's...so the overall environment/attitude was different.... But I'd take a start-up over a established company any day. It just suits me better. I like to create things (processes, solutions, whatever). Not saying you can't do that in an established firm, but its much harder to change something that's been static for a long time. I also like the jack of all trades opportunity. You're in IT, but have an interest in business development or Intellectual property? Just ask to help out... they'll be more than happy to give you something. And you also have more opportunities to shine too.
Yea - hours are longer... but they seem to go by faster too. I recall working 10-12 hour days.. but it really didn't feel like it. You also get to network a lot more... you dont' get too many opportunities to hang out with the C level execs, BoDs or even the investors at more established places.
You just need to make sure the leadership knows what their doing... you want excitement and change...but you dont' want to have to change jobs in 6 months to a year.
Just want to get some opinion on what do you guys think of working for a startup company vs working for a large corporation. Which one do you prefer? Would you give up a high paying job to join a start up company?
Not unless the start-up was my own.
Also, I won't take start-ups as clients. In my field, they tend not to know what they are doing, as evidenced by the number of them who say, "We can't pay you, but it will be good exposure." Uh, yeah. If you don't have money to pay your writers and other content people, you have no business starting an ezine or building a website. Call me when you get some seed money and aren't working out of your parents' basement.
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