The most sought-after jobs for generations have generally been the more prestigious graduate positions with large corporate companies such as banks or law firms. This has seen countless talented graduates becoming stuck on that notorious conveyer belt of corporate life. But many graduates over recent years, especially millennials, are finding that these positions aren't that glamorous after all and are ditching corporate jobs to work for a startup instead.
Working at a startup is certainly not an easy ride. It's just as much if not more hard work than at a corporate company, with a probably lower salary, at least in the beginning. The good part is that it's highly likely you'll be doing something different each day that challenges you in many ways. And that's not all. Keep reading below and you'll find that working for a startup has a wide range of benefits.
You'll Get More Opportunities
Graduates who work for big corporations would rarely see the company CEO or any other key decision-makers in the firm. Still, creators of startups frequently interact with employees at all levels of the company, irrespective of their positions. In fact, you might find that your workstation is right beside the company founder's desk, or an experienced technical expert that would be unreachable if they worked for a large corporation.
This close-knit workspace without formal barriers will open up innumerable learning opportunities for you, allowing you to directly benefit from the experience and knowledge of all the seasoned industry professionals around you.
You'll Get More Responsibility
When you are working at a startup, you'll most likely be part of a small team, often in the single digits or low to mid-teens. That means there will probably be no one else in the company that has the same skillset, approaches problems the same, or even thinks the way that you do. So, even with an entry-level position at a startup, you'll likely be given more responsibility from your first day.
Yet in your specific role, it probably won't be that specific at all, so you'll be tasked with more responsibilities meaning your work will be more varied. Being in a smaller team, you'll likely have a much larger part to play, instead of being a small cog in the larger corporate wheel. You'll feel as though whatever you're doing in your position is genuinely adding value. While the learning curve is going to be much steeper, and the challenge more significant, it is all the more worthwhile in the end.
You'll Acquire More Skills
Most corporate employees perform similar tasks and activities every day before finishing at 5pom, whereas working life at startups is significantly different. Employees at startups are expected to work on multiple projects simultaneously and sometimes meeting tight deadlines will mean working extra hours each day. Things also seem to happen much faster at startups, with a lot of uncertainty in scopes for different tasks and projects.
A 40-year-old corporate employee probably wouldn't be too excited about learning these new skills, but an employee in their 20s will find this set up ideal for career growth and accelerated learning. Working under pressure with these tight deadlines will ultimately polish up your skills while also developing your capabilities for decision making. It's far more likely to make you a much sharper individual overall compared to someone working within the boundaries of their comfort zone.
You'll Work Directly With Innovators
People with their own startup always seem to have a vastly different mindset and professional makeup than people who've never taken a chance and created something. Entrepreneurs are generally defined by looking at things differently, finding innovative and original methods of addressing problems.
Because of their innovative nature, entrepreneurs approach problems differently. They are highly driven individuals who continuously search for solutions so that they can make the most out of everything they do. With better exposure to these individuals, you'll have a greater opportunity to learn from them. Your work will likely be much more fulfilling because you'll see it as more than just a job. You'll feel like you are meaningfully and tangibly contributing to the project in some way.
Your Work Will Be Recognised
Chances are if you do work at a larger size company, your hard work will go unnoticed and ignored, or someone else above you will get the credit. Alternatively, it's almost impossible for a job well done to go unnoticed or the credit going elsewhere that where it's due. If you've succeeded in some way, the small team you work with are going to notice it instantly, and the ensuing praise and glory are going to be all yours.
For example, if you work in marketing, you will most probably get tasked with setting up a digital marketing campaign from start to finish.
This is an opportunity many marketing managers in large corporations don't get, as the task is usually outsourced to an agency or done by specific ads specialists. As long as you stay focused, your successes will be recognised, plus your failures will also be minimised. When the rest of your team tells you that they couldn't have completed it without you, you can be fairly confident that they really mean it.
You'll Learn To Be Money Smart
Unless your startup has a wealthy investor or the founder has access to family money, working at a startup is going to mean that money is super tight. Startups are always looking for ways to accomplish more with much less. This frugality is likely to bleed into your life too, which means you'll also find new ways to be happy without the money you earn burning a hole in your pocket.
As you become smarter with your own money, you'll discover the joy of doing or creating, rather than consuming. You'll find happiness as you become more energised, both mentally and physically, as you take on board new hobbies or begin work on your own startup ideas or other personal projects.
You'll Have A Strong Work Ethic
Possibly more important than all the other benefits of working for a startup, you'll learn that hard work and tenacity are worth so much. You'll have pride in your and your team's ability and hard work, which also teaches you the importance of taking risks and creating innovative solutions.
Every employee at a startup will likely be expected to get everything done in the allotted time frame instead of the expectation of perfection. This mindset of choosing efficiency over perfection is often the very key to all of the startups' progress because the founder or creator understands all too well that improvement and success, whether it is professional or personal, always comes gradually.
Working for a startup has plenty of advantages, especially for young people about to embark on a career, when you're full of energy with high ambitions. That's the stage of your career when you will be able to juggle different tasks, work longer hours, and take on responsibilities that will likely help you in your career. Working life at a startup can sometimes be far from perfect, but it offers you experiences that generations before you could only dream about.
Choose a company that has a purpose and a mission that you are passionate about and can feel in the work that you do. For an increasing number of young people, that alone will count for so much more than anything corporate life can offer them.