What are you missing on if you haven't worked in a start-up?

When I took the decision to leave my previous employer and join noon, many doubted my decision. People would tell me things like "How can you leave a big name and join a start up?" "Are you crazy, you've got a stable job and good pay, why would you leave?" "When you leave a multinational to join a start up, you're killing your career!".

Little did they know that joining a start up was by far the best decision of my life! Definitely working for a big name had its perks, people tend to be attracted to big names because it can sometimes determine who successful others perceive us to be or because financial stability is usually associated with big names and not start ups.

But I am here to tell you all the amazing things you're missing on if you haven't worked in a start up yet:

1) You will miss on working with young talents across all departments. In noon Egypt, the majority of our workforce, not less than 85% are millennials who actually hold managerial positions. I usually use this as a selling point when I headhunt candidates and surprisingly, they all consider it one strong asset. We all share the same vision, we all want to grow with this place and prove that our decision of joining the ship was the right if not the best decision.

2) You will miss on having the space and chance to make mistakes. If you work in a big name with fixed processes and given trainings and certificates, your chances of making any mistakes should be minimal. And in case you actually made a mistake, then the consequences might not be the best, Unlike start ups, you learn by making mistakes, you have the chance to try out process once and twice until you come up with the most efficient and relevant way to get things done.

3) You will miss on leaving a mark every single day. Working in a stat up gives you the chance to make a difference everyday. How? Just do your job, give it your all. Being part of a small team makes everyone's job vital and makes every single employee matter.

4) You will miss on working in a new/cool working environment. Culture is the magic word in today's startups. They will select people who fit their culture and make it better. Music, open work space, open door policy, casual apparel and fun are nowadays important attributes to focus on rather than the boring 9-5 kind of environment.

5) You will miss on being part of a story. Every startup has a story and those who believed in the story will eventually play a big part in it and that is the best kind of reward I could think of. One day, when your startup actually kicks off and becomes a big name, you will look back and tell your friends how it all started from nothing and how you were a part of it.

I cannot say that being part of any startup is always rainbows and butterflies, on the contrary, it gets frustrating and stressful many days of the week but all you got to do is keep your eye on the goal.

To be honest, I cannot end this article without mentioning one important thing; you will definitely miss on sleep but again, you will end up enjoying every sleepless hour of the day when you see the difference you make.

Working in a startup will turn you into a fearless person, someone who can take on any adventure and turn it to a positive experience, and that's what life is all about. Forget your daily routine and your fixed to-do list, go search for a job that surprises you everyday, that teaches you something new. Look for a place that turns you to a leader not a follower.

Stay awesome,

Yasmin