For someone who is looking for a first job, there is a bigger tendency to eye one of the bigger companies. After all, the towering buildings, the household name of the company in a certain industry, plus all the ads everywhere—they are all signs of a successful company, and we always think that working for a successful company means we’re headed on the same path. However, what all of us should realize when we’re looking for jobs is that our success isn’t entirely dependent on the success of the company. That’s why it really takes a lot of courage and versatility to opt to work at a start-up company. If you are also considering working for one, you might want to know the pros and cons so you’ll know what to expect.
Getting Your Voice Heard
If you really want to contribute something great to a company, there is no better way for you to do it than to work for a start-up company. Compared to working for bigger companies, the chances of your getting heard is higher if you’re in a start-up company. That also means that you have a direct impact to the success of the company, and with one great successful project or decision, you could even retire rich and sooner than you expected.
However, as great as the advantage is, so is the disadvantage. Having a direct impact to the success of the company also means that you have a direct impact to its downfall. If you are a natural risk-taker and you love challenges, this should be able to motivate you more to do better at your job. However, if you prefer things to be simpler with less pressure on you with regards to the outcome of the company, then you’re probably better off working in a bigger company, where the chances of you getting blamed if they suddenly go bankrupt are little to zero.
Feeling of Family
The system in most corporations today is like this—you report to a superior, who report to a superior, who reports to someone else higher, and so on until it gets to someone reporting directly to the CEO. If you’re going to look at your position from bigger perspective, it would seem like you’re just a small dot in a galaxy. But when you’re working for a start-up company, most of the time everybody knows everyone else. There’s also a big chance that you’ll report to The Boss directly, which in turn will give you a better chance to get recognition for a job well done. Also, there’s a tighter bond among staff and there’s that feeling of family because you are always together.
The downside of it is that sometimes, when you’re too close with one another, the line between professional relationship and personal relationship is so thin that many people compromise both. Also, sometimes the quality of work is also compromised because the working environment is too causal or laid back.
Opportunities to be Versatile
Start-up companies provide a lot of good training and a variety or roles for you to fill. These are great opportunities for you to discover some of your skills and capabilities which you otherwise wouldn’t know you would discover if you worked for a bigger company. Because start-up companies usually have a small staff, there is a big chance that you will be asked to perform different duties. This could be made to your advantage because you’re going to learn new skills.
The downside of this is your lack of focus in an area of specialty. Being a Jack-of-all-trades can be a great thing, but if your job requires you to focus on more technical skills, doing too many things all the time can dull your other strengths and leave you doing things at a mediocre quality. So if this is already what you’re doing, make sure that you still give more focus on technical skills so at least you won’t get rough around the edges later on when you decide to look for another job.
With these pros and cons of working for a start-up company, you should be able to gauge what you thoughts are. Would it be a good career move for you if you start with a small company or would it be better if you get your training from one of the bigger ones first?
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If you enjoyed reading this article, you might also be interested in reading the following:
1. Pros and Cons of Working for a Large Company
2. 4 Steps to Planning Your Career Successfully
3. Today’s Job Hunting Rules – 5 Things To Remember When Applying for a Job
