Work for a startup or a big company? Choose wisely and watch your career grow

There might come a point in your career journey where you're faced with the decision of choosing between that exciting startup and the big, well-established company. That decision might be closer than you think with The Great Resignation upon us. The direction you choose will have a major impact on the trajectory of your career and professional life.

Choose wisely and watch your career grow in ways you never thought possible, like you just discovered the Holy Grail. Choose poorly and...

Alright, if you make the wrong choice, it's not like your face will melt and you'll turn to dust as a thousand year old knight from the crusades mic drops on your bones. I picked an admittedly dramatic example from an admittedly older movie from the late 80s. Watch it . Great movie.

But it is in fact important to really know what you're getting yourself into when joining a startup and what are the expectations you should have versus what you'll get if you join a large, established company purely for stability.

? Ask yourself this hypothetical question

The poll is still open, so you're free to go vote and have your say here .

Before you go quitting your current job without having locked down something else already, ask yourself the above question. How other people vote on the poll doesn't matter. What matters is you come to a point where you can objectively say that you're either seeking the benefits of working at a startup, like potential equity (still risky) or experience, or those of working at a big established company, like stability and access to high quality healthcare.

LinkedIn's very own Jessi Hempel , Senior Editor at Large and creator of Hello Monday says , "I've got two little kids: it depends entirely on how much money I already have in the bank for their education. If I'm set there, I'll take a considered risk on a startup. But short of that, I'm going with the big company."

Conversely, a LinkedIn member who works for a large bank in Singapore commented on the poll that he, "...would pick start-up. It gives one a lot of different exposure, handling of matters, to lead. These are experiences that are not easy to obtain in a large company where there is a top-down chain."

I'd say this is largely true. You do get more opportunities to dip your hands into different roles and lead at a startup compared to a larger corporation. The catch is that you *have* to step into the chaos of a startup and be able to make sense of it, be fully responsible for your work and know your decisions carry a lot of weight with the entire company. This can be supremely valuable experience in a career, but it also can take a lot out of you, especially if you see the startup go up in smoke, which is entirely likely to happen before you join any kind of unicorn.

After more structure and stability? Maybe a startup isn't for you. Singapore based LinkedIn Top Voice Eric Sim comments, "I am old school, will choose big company for more structured training and stability."

On the other side of the coin is U.S., Arkansas-based contract machinist Daniel Carrol who says he'd join the startup "of course" because he's "Very good at what I do, love to train others to succeed, enjoy the challenge and struggle of creating a successful team and business."

Want to go the startup route? Read this ????

There are at least 11 things you need to seriously consider before joining a startup . I wrote this four years ago and each of these points still stands today. Working at a startup isn't for everybody, but if you can understand each of these points before joining one, you're likely to put yourself in the best possible situation.

I've worked for multiple startups in my career. They're really hard, but equally rewarding and can truly help you advance your career, regardless of what stage you're in. Startups are chaotic and stimulating, frustrating and engaging. You'll meet amazing people as colleagues who you'll form deep professional bonds and friendships with. Still, startups are a dice roll, so you need to go into working at one as prepared as possible and with clear goals of what you want to get out of it.

New Delhi-based Executive Coach Neha Parashar comments she has "chosen to work in a startup/young org in my career, but only after sufficient Big Company experience behind me. In similar circumstances, I might do the same again." She also shares some excellent key learnings such as, "It is very important to choose the best people to work with. With larger teams and more opportunities for internal moves, a Big Company allows you more room in that area."

? On the concept of big company 'stability'

The idea of a big company being more stable was mentioned repeatedly in the comments on my poll as well as in any conversation I have with somebody that goes into making the choice between working at a startup or a big company.

Here's the thing though: Big companies aren't as stable as we tend to give them credit for. Just look at what the coronavirus pandemic did to traditionally stable and secure companies. It decimated them. Yeah working for a startup can be risky, but in today's world so can working for a big company.

The best thing you can do is to not assume a big company is more stable and secure just because it is big. Have the same mentality when job seeking for a big company that you would a startup. As in, do the research, check the trends and profits, look at the company culture, reach out to current employees.

Even so, after landing a great new gig at the big company, what happens when you find out you loathe the big boss after you get a chance to work with them? Or what happens if you discover avenues for promotion are practically nil, or the company culture isn't what you thought? It happens. Suddenly that stability doesn't look so stable for you, regardless of whether or not you're at a big company.

"I thought I was getting stability but instead I got a black hole of time-warping confusion."

? What to do? ˉ\_(ツ)_/ˉ?

Subscribe to a newsletter like Careers Unlocked of course! Because for those who read this newsletter and all the other newsletters just like it, all their professional dreams will come true! I have all the answers!

If only.

I have advice. Career coaches, mentors, writers, business influencers... have advice. We don't have the perfect answer for you and to be honest I'll never be able to give the perfect answer that will guarantee success. I'd be lying if I said I have the answer.

What I can promise on this specific topic though is that you're not wrong if you choose to work for a startup to advance your career, and you're not wrong if you choose a big company either.

You only choose poorly if you haven't put in the required thought to make the most informed decision for yourself in your own life and career situation.

You only choose poorly if you join the startup believing it is the next unicorn, or join the big company with the belief that it is 100% stable and secure.

But if you do the research, really consider the company leadership , work environment , the company culture and how your personal career goals fit in to working at either a startup or big company, why, then you're on your way to choosing wisely.

???I've had my say, what's yours? What's the best advice you'd give somebody trying to decide between working at a startup or big company?