A Corporate Gig Might Initially Pay More Than A Startup And Come With Cushy Benefits,
But There Are Real, Career-Defining Reasons To Heed The Siren Of A Startup
Working at a startup might mean you're part of a small team. So there might not be anybody else in the company who has the same skillset as you, solves problems as you do, or even thinks the way you do.
Most startup jobs won't pay as well as some of the bigger corporates. You (or your degree) may be worth more than a startup is able to pay. Startup offers different type of rewards based on skills attained and opportunities seized. The experience will outweigh the pay cut.
Working at a startup will allow you to try on a lot of different hats, even that weird one that you didn't think you would ever like, but find out that you did. Peers who have entered into a big corporate are generally stuck with their main task and don't get to branch out into other areas. It’s usually a one-person-fits-one-task kind of job.
Working at a startup and spreading the news of your team's product, a product that you helped bring into existence, instills the value of that ownership and gives you pride in your work. It is this pride, in your team's hard-work and ability, that teaches you the importance of protecting those who do create innovative solutions and take risks. No matter where you go after your stint at a startup, and especially if it is to go off and create a company on your own, that need to be self-sustainable, and the skills you picked up to make that possible, will power everything that you do.
People who start their own business have a contagious mental and professional makeup. Entrepreneurs think of problem and find an innovative and way of addressing it and so they are the best people to learn from. They are driven to make the most out of their time and work. Every successful startup has true innovators, and if you find the right ones, you'll learn plenty. IMAGE
At a startup, it's nearly impossible not to notice a job well done or to give credit where credit is due. If you succeed, the small team will recognize it instantly, and the praise and glory is yours to bask in. Stay focused, startup employee, and your successes will be recognized and your failures minimized. And when the rest of the team says "We couldn't have done it without you," you can be confident that they mean it.
Working at startup probably means that money is tight. ;). At the start you'll find a way to fit nine people around an eight person table (hint: extra chair). :D With this frugality and monetary responsibility you'll end up finding new ways to find fulfillment other than burning the money you earn. A PEENY SAVED IS A PENNY EARNED. In the startup world, it's all about creating more and consuming less.
Startups usually have far more transparency than big companies. You’ll get to see how the company grows, why certain decisions were made, and how the company reacts to competitors and business plan changes. All of this will teach you about business and prepare you to do your own startup one day. On the contrary, in big corporates there will always be information that isn’t shared, though, for example salaries and equity compensation, certain board meeting information, and certain sensitive investor information.
At a startup you’re a part of something much bigger than just what your job asks of you. Sure, you need to write code, publish blog posts, whatever, but you’re doing much more than that. You’re building a company. It’s hard to describe what that feeling is like, though. Being a part of a small company is somewhat like creating a community or finding new best friends. You’re making something from nothing, with people who are in it for the same reasons you are. You’re at the apex of what might become something big, something meaningful and different. And the excitement is amazingly powerful.