This is a much more complicated question than you may be tempted to believe at first glance. There are always advantages and disadvantages of both. It is highly important that you are patient and that you analyze all the opportunities that are currently available for you when making a choice about taking up a job at a startup or an established company.
A job at a startup
The salary will most likely be lower although in top management positions you may actually make more than with the larger corporations. However, we all know that salary is not the most important thing in life. A huge advantage of working with a startup is that you can easily climb the ladder and eventually end up in a higher position since the ladder is not that high.
There is also an enormous opportunity for personal career development. A job at a startup will most likely involve trying on a lot of different hats at the same time. You maybe hired to take up a marketing responsibility, but at some point you could be handling customer services or represent your company in different capacities. That will push you to be more versatile, more reliable, and more productive.
Working at a startup offers different types of rewards: an incentive-based system that isn’t based on just the money you can earn at the end of the month, but rather in skills attained and future prospects of the company. Som startups offer equity- based rewards. Most first employees at new startups have the opportunity to own a percentage of the company. There is plenty of room to increase your salary. And that is definitely better depending on your career goals in life.
In a startup, founders or entrepreneurs are trying to change their industries or create something different. You will be working directly with the creators, founders and geniuses that are trying to change the business landscape. That could be rewarding if the company finally succeeds.
The main disadvantage is that it does take quite a lot of time to analyze what startup to consider. Statistics show that most of the startups are not actually profitable and end up in failure. You have to be sure that the one you consider will be successful on the long run, which is a lot easier said than done.
Working for an established company
There are many that are hiring at the moment. For instance, you can apply for a job at Nordstrom right now and many other options are currently available for you. Job stability is definitely the one thing that you have to consider due to the fact that with large companies, it is almost a certainty that they will not run out of business.
Large corporations are either industry leaders or are the top of their game. They are doing most things right. And they probably profitable. You will be learning from some of the best leaders of the industry. You will know how to lead with authority which is an important lesson in life. If you aspire to be a great leader, an opportunity at an established business will offer you a great chance to work alongside successful business leaders.
The large ecosystems of partners, managers, and customers in an established company help you know what works and doesn’t in the business world. You will be exposed to different sections and departments of a business and you will learn to better interact and do business successfully with the different arms of a company.
However, the working environment is definitely not as friendly, as with the exemplified Nordstrom. In a startup and you will not know many people that are actually colleagues, which is a reality in so many companies. This is something you should take into consideration when looking for a career options. Opportunties for growth are also limited and could take time to climb the corporate ladder.
If you are more interested in a stable job with financial security, then an established company is where you need to work. But if career development, taking up new responsibilities and learning from innovators is what you seek, take up a job at a startup.
On the whole, both options are really interesting and have to be considered. However, it is all up to you and the information that you have in order to make a correct choice at the end of the day. Choose according to your current wishes but never neglect the importance of research.
