Deciding where you want to work can be pretty tough sometimes. Since you would be spending a significant number of your waking hours there, it is therefore essential that you make a very careful and educated decision.
Now, this is where it gets tough, making the decision. Working at startups or giant companies both have advantages and disadvantages, however, weighing these pros and cons can help you make a quicker and more satisfying decision.
Since these are two different worlds, a look into each would help you with understanding their structures a lot better before you decide.
Therefore, here are some of the major differences between working for a startup company and working for a giant company:
- Multiple Responsibilities
Working at a startup would usually require you to shoulder certain responsibilities which may not even be a part of your specific job description. Since most startups typically have very few employees, keeping the business running would usually require that you work outside your schedule of duty.
One major advantage of this is that you gain some experience and the job is pretty exciting and not at all monotonous. The con is that there is no specific limit to your duties and this may constitute more and more work.
The startup ecosystem may also be a determining factor. Giant companies, on the other hand,-carve out specific roles for you and you don’t get to experience any other aspects.
2. Decision Making
At startups with a smaller staff, workers are able to make certain decisions on their own early into their careers. This helps in building your ability to make wise decisions as well as using your initiative.
This would be especially good for you if you like to work somewhat independently without having to confirm every single step or line of action from the boss. When you work at a giant company, there is a clear list of duties and chain of command that you need to follow to get approval for various actions.
It may get pretty frustrating sometimes and may not allow for great use of your intellectual prowess.
3. Job Security
With startups, especially the ones that are just starting out, there is typically a chance of the entire thing packing up. Even with startups that are less than two years old, there is a high probability that it wouldn’t have reached profitability yet. As a matter of fact, a start-up making an instant profit is sometimes regarded to be a red flag.
Therefore, in terms of job security, giant companies would guarantee you that more than a startup would. However, since there are really no complete guarantees in any job, there is still a chance of finding yourself jobless but the chances are significantly less in a giant company than at a startup.
The upside here is that if the startup starts to progress on its way to becoming a big company, then you are definitely in for a treat. This is because they tend to retain their founding members and reward them with promotions and increased paychecks.
4. Working Hours
Depending on your job description in a giant company, you may have to put in a lot of hours. However, most startups are typically understaffed and usually require that you work for very long hours, including weekends.
If your job isn’t one that totally requires your physical presence at work, you may find yourself working at home. The same could be said for working at giant companies but you could get pretty flexible working hours. At startups or even giant companies, it may be difficult to take time off.
However, medical conditions like recovering from a C-section or serious illnesses would definitely get you time off in either a startup or a giant company. Furthermore, the more you advance in either company, the more flexibility in working hours that you get – typically.
When the startup starts to do very great financially and are able to hire on more staff, your workload would significantly reduce.
5. Remuneration
An established company would typically pay you a lot more than a startup would be able to afford. And this starts immediately you get in and begin to work. Similarly, a giant company would offer you a lot more resources to do your work thereby making work easier for you.
A startup, on the other hand, may struggle to meet up with financing their workers’ paychecks, even after cutting back on staff. Also, there are fewer resources for you to work at a startup since the company is basically just getting off its feet. However, there might be a twist to this in the long run.
If you joined a startup in its early days and helped build it up, upon becoming somewhat established, you would begin to receive a significantly larger paycheck. And you would, of course, rise through the ranks fairly quickly.
In a giant company, however, you may be stuck in the same role for a couple of years without a pay raise.
In summary, there are various pros and cons to working at either a giant company or a startup. At the end of the day, you would have to weigh all of this and decide which is most preferable.
They do allow certain concessions such as maternity leave, so if you begin to sense morning sickness, it may be time to step back a bit. This, of course, applies specifically to women but the point is that certain concessions are allowed, and you should know this before signing up for either company.