Small or big company

Many of us face situations where we need to look for a job. It would be better to be an independent worker (freelancer) or founder of a company. Unfortunately not everyone can do it, so we look for a job, and sometimes we have choose between different job proposals, and maybe we need to choose if we want to work for a big or a small company. In this case ask ourselves how big a company do I want to work for?

There are many advantages and disadvantages to working for a big company or a small company.

Money.

How much money are you looking to make? Usually the biggest salary can be found in startups. This is not always the case, but it is typical. In the best-case scenario, you are one of the company founders. Sometimes startups pay very little, because they don’t have enough money in the beginning. Managers may promise you that the situation will change in the future and you will earn more. In this case, think well about if you are ready to handle working long hours for little pay. Big companies can give you a pretty good salary, but usually less than successful startups. Small but stable companies usually pay the smallest salary.

Career.

Startups may have the best possibilities for your career because they grow fast. If you work there from the beginning, you will be the most qualified person for your job, so you will have a higher chance of being promoted. Good possibilities for your career are in big companies. If you are a specialist in your field and have good managerial and communicative skills you will also have a chance of being promoted. In a small company you can also be promoted if the company is growing steadily. However, if the company is not growing or is shrinking you will have a very small chance of being promoted.

Social conditions

Social conditions are usually better in big companies. There may be longer vacations, free or subsidized lunch, a greater number of paid sick days. Better or additional health insurance.

Stress at work

When we are young, we aren’t afraid of stress at work, but when we are 40+ our point of view on this may have changed. Of course, the most stressful companies are startups. Usually they need to release a product as fast as possible because of competition with other companies, and people work hard and intensively there. Intensive work can be in any big or small company, but it is less stressful than in startups.

Extra hours at work.

There can be long working days in any kind of company, but people in startups usually put in the most extra hours. People can work 12 and sometimes more hours.

Now I want to mention the advantages of small companies and startups.

First, you can learn a large range of different skills. You can try different jobs and understand what kind of work you like more, or what kind of work you can do better.

Secondly, you can learn more about your area of expertise. In a big company you usually do very specific work. In a small company, you alone can do the job, which in a big company would be done by an entire department. In many cases you are the only expert in your field and you can make many decisions alone. In a big company you have strong boundaries that you cannot cross.

Thirdly, in a small company you can always learn new things and apply them in your work.

You might be required to perform research and make decisions on the basis of this.

Working for a small company can be Heaven, but it also can be Hell, depending on the people and management that work in this company. Unfortunately, in many cases in small companies the work atmosphere may be toxic.

At the beginning of your career, I would recommend you work for a small company or startup and when you have a lot of experience, move to a big company, maybe as a boss, who knows a lot.

So, here I have described the different pros and cons of big and small companies. Now you know and can choose what suits you best. If you found this information useful, please write you comment.

Photo by LYCS Architecture