Why should you go to an exciting startup instead of a big company when starting your career?

When starting your career, you often have a choice between 2 options: a big company or an exciting startup. I know it's not always that simple, but just focus on these 2 directions and ignore the others — they are not part of this discussion. You might have stumbled upon this post because an exciting startup has reached out to you, or a big company has already made you an offer (congratulations).

Maybe your question is more general, like "Which job should I choose?" At first glance, big companies and startups seem very different — big companies are often big and slow, while startups are small and agile. But almost all successful startups were once small and agile themselves — they just made it bigger through growth.

What if we applied the bare minimum's of what makes a startup successful even in the bigger environment?

Growth potential

If you’re interested in working at a startup, you should be aware that there are pros and cons to working for a small company. The main advantage of working for a small startup is the opportunity to grow your career faster than you would at a larger company. For example, if you start as an entry-level marketing analyst at a large corporation and work hard, it could take years before they promote you to senior marketing analyst or even manager.

At a startup, however, if you do well in your first year, they may promote you to vice president of marketing within two years. This is mainly because startups don’t have the same bureaucracy that large corporations have — they can hire people who are good at their jobs and not just those who look good on paper or can fill an immediate need.

A culture of creativity and ideas

Startups are famous for their culture of innovation. They’re full of people who love to come up with new ideas and try new things. At a big company, you might be told what to do, but at a startup, you can be part of the process of making decisions. You may feel like you’re not able to contribute at a big company because you don’t have much experience.

But if you join a startup right out of school, then you can learn and grow as the company grows. You’ll also get the chance to work on many different projects and see how they all fit together into one whole product or service. Startups are also known for being fast paced and demanding — which can be either good or bad depending on how you look at it!

If you prefer working in an environment where there’s always something new happening, then this might be something that excites rather than scares you away from joining a startup.

Get to work on the big picture

A big company is a great place to work if you want to make a lot of money and have a stable career. But if you're trying to change the world, or just get excited about what you're doing, startups are usually better. Startups are more exciting because they have an urgent mission and the right people in charge.

They have less bureaucracy and more autonomy because they don't have time for process or red tape. And they have fewer employees who can really make an impact on the business. At a startup, you'll get to work on the big picture instead of being bogged down with just one part of it.

You'll be able to learn from people who know what they're doing instead of having to figure everything out yourself. And if you can survive at one startup, there's nothing stopping you from moving on to another one that's even more interesting and challenging — as long as you're willing to keep learning and keep growing as a professional.

Work with a more experienced team

When you work at a startup, you have the opportunity to work with a more experienced team. The more experienced members of the team are more likely to have been through many different situations and have a better understanding of how to tackle them. This means that they will be able to provide you with valuable insight into your career path and what it takes to get ahead in your career.

You will also have more opportunities to learn new skills. Startups tend to be small companies, which means that there are fewer people doing more jobs. This means that you may need to take on roles that you would not normally have at a larger company. For example, if there is no one else who knows how to do something, then it may fall upon you as one of the newest members of the team to step up and learn how to do that task yourself.

Startups often adopt an “agile” approach when developing products and services, which means that there isn’t always one person who knows everything about something or can explain it in detail when asked by someone else on their team.

In A Word...

A startup environment offers its own unique appeal, and can be an exciting place to work. It also tends to fire up a passionate, almost reckless energy that is difficult to find elsewhere. But for every advantage, there can also be disadvantages; the flexibility and agility that make startups appealing can also make it more challenging than a big company.

If you're in the startup phase of your career, whether you choose a big company or a startup, you'll likely do well to keep in mind what they've taught you over the years. Whatever your choice, enjoy the freedom and adaptability of working at a startup while you're still young… while they're still hiring!