Startups vs Mid Size companies - My take

I recently completed my internship at a mid size company and having interned at two startups before, it puts me an interesting position to compare the two. Both have their charms and their cracks. This is not to say that one is better over the other. So here are few dimensions which I would like to compare them on:

• Fitting in: This is the first thing every new employee wants. When you work for an early stage startup, there are not more than 4-5 people and each one know everyone else, so fitting in is not really an issue. The situation in a mid size company, on the other hand, is similar situation to arriving at a party where you don’t know anyone. The natural instinct is to think this is a big group of friends having an awesome time and everyone is engaged so you really have no one to strike up a conversation with. Once you look past the surface you realize there are a bunch of pairwise and disjoint conversations and probably most people aren’t friends[1].

• Work: In startups you are bound to get non-trivial work. In fact, most of the times your work will be critical to how the company performs overall. For bigger organisations, this one really depends on your manager. If your manager has faith in you, he will reward you with good work. If that isn’t the case chances are you’ll be working on something not so important you won’t know if and how that actually contributes to the organisation.

• Environment: Startups usually have a high intensity and tense environment. With lots of work and high pressure to deliver, there are usually very few trips and outings together. Successful mid sized companies on the other hand, have a very relaxed environment. The work is less stressful and there are usually many more outings for the entire team. Besides all the above, the overall experience was great, peaceful and provided a unique positive environment that helps one bring out the creativity that lies dormant within them.

PS: Above views are mine. You may or may not be able to relate to them.

[1]Taken from Pedram Keyani’s answer on Quora.

If you liked this post, you can share it with your followers!