For example, what would you do if you had an offer from Google and a mid-sized IT company based in India? What if you also have an offer from a new startup working in a space you are passionate about?
The Indianness in us would hand down go with the Google offer. And there’s perfect logic in the reasoning, at least on the surface. But what if we tell you joining a big company might not always be a good idea?
What if we say that a startup gives you more than your job in one of the Big 4? Perplexing? Let’s explore the possibilities and weigh the pros and cons in this podcast to blog post.
Fixing the Bug is the official podcast from CodeQuotient, where we explore the ever-evolving questions of technology, education, and tech careers. With the podcast, our goal is to help you find answers to the most pertinent yet unanswered questions.
Aren’t Big Companies Always Better?
Unfortunately, we cannot sum up the answer to this question in one word. This is because much of it depends on what you want from your job: Are you looking for the highest possible payscale? Then big companies would be a better choice almost always.
But is a big company still a good idea if you have an entrepreneurial bent of mind? Unfortunately, we cannot say a definitive yes any longer.
Big companies do offer a lot of benefits to their employees. Think about the job security, salary package, perks and benefits, paid leaves, etc.
Moreover, there is hardly any doubt that a multinational enterprise with thousands of employees has the necessary infrastructure. Of course, you get the best facilities when working for a large company. But if it’s all sunshine and rainbows, what is the point of the debate anyway?
Drawbacks of working in a large company
A large company has thousands of employees, hundreds of offices, and tonnes of C-suite executives. So when you join such a company as a fresher, you are very much replaceable.
Nothing will happen to the company if you decide to stop working one day. Your CEO may even never know who you are or what you do. The hard truth is that unless you are at the top of the corporate ladder, you are not worth much in a large company. Sure, you will be paid well. But you may not always feel valued.
The corporate ladder is a disadvantage of working in a large company. Climbing the corporate ladder requires you to follow a fixed set of rules and protocols. Getting promotions would be a long road if you cannot do that.
To sum up, we can say that large companies restrict creativity. It means that your creativity will struggle to find any recognition in a large enterprise. If you have your way of doing things, the inherent structure of large companies will prevent you from realising your full potential.
Medium-sized companies: between small and large
A wide range of companies can be called medium-sized. Being mid-sized for a company means it is not yet at the stage of a large enterprise, but it is pretty ahead of small businesses. Therefore, working in a mid-sized company can be a good option if you want to walk the fine line between a small and a big company.
A medium-sized company will also give you the most things that a large company would. For example, it would offer competitive salaries, perks and benefits like health insurance and a laid-out plan to follow. But what it would not give you is the brand value.
Many companies publicise that their employees are ex-employees of Google, Apple, Amazon, or Microsoft. Once you have work experience in a large establishment, your career prospects can increase.
However, mid-sized companies will not give you that brand value or recognition. At the same time, mid-sized companies also have rules and protocols for climbing up the corporate ladder.
The bottom line of working in a mid-sized company is that you will get a balance between the other two ends. Does it work for everyone? Not really. Some want the stability of a large enterprise, and some want the freedom of a small firm. The remaining are willing to go midway.
Small companies and startups
Recently, working in startups has been romanticised to a great extent in popular media. As a result, we have heard stories of people quitting FAANG jobs to move to a small firm or startup.
But as it turns out, humans are good at hyping things up. Starting work in a small firm with unrealistic expectations will result in severe disappointment and disillusionment.
For instance, when working in a startup, you may have to work past your hours every once in a while. Your presence in the office would be necessary; hence, getting leaves would be a problem. You won’t have a huge paycheck, nor will you have many social and financial benefits that more prominent companies provide.
Why do people still work in small companies? There are two ways of looking at it. Once you have financial freedom, pursuing what you truly enjoy makes sense. And finally, for freshers, startups are the best way to glimpse how work is done. If you have any ambition of entrepreneurship in future, working in a startup would be the best learning opportunity.
Given a choice, What Should you go For?
Only you can answer this question.
Your financial background, ambitions, interests, and other personal factors should dictate this choice. Remember that there’s no right or wrong when choosing between money and the freedom to be creative.
If you still have some doubts, check out our podcast to have all your questions answered.
