In a Tough Job Market, Should You Trust Your Career to a Startup?

Tech In Asia

11/01/2016

Deccan Chronicle

19/01/2016

12/01/2016

You’ve got two job offers at hand – one from a startup and one from a reputable company in your field. While improving your career in the corporate world would mean plenty of benefits, using your expertise to help a startup achieve its goals can be rewarding in so many ways.

Many of us are thinking twice about working for startups due to its unstable nature, provided that 92% of startups actually fail. Given this, however, a lot of people still have risked themselves with the right startups and ended up earning huge digits. These stories might be completely out of the ordinary, but it can definitely happen to you as well.

Here are some of the reasons why you should trust your career to a startup:

You’d be able to learn at a much faster pace. Because startups do not have sufficient funds for different departments, you might have to immerse yourself into a little bit of everything – leading you to acquire new knowledge and skills that can maximize your potentials and elevate your career to greater heights. You get to touch other areas that are completely out of your field. Startups have a fast-paced environment, so you have to be quick on coming up with ideas on reacting to different situations. Moreover, you’d be learning directly from the startup founders themselves. All of this may mean more responsibility, but everything that you will learn along the way is definitely worth it.
Easy recognition. Working for the corporate world gives you less chances of being recognized for all the hard work that you have done. Sometimes, the credit ends up with the wrong person – but in the world of startups, it’s nearly impossible for anyone not to be showered with praises and acknowledgement if they’ve done something that’s highly successful. However, you can easily grab the spotlight too when you’ve screwed something up. Thoughts of both good and bad recognition will keep you so focused on achieving your goals and doing your best.
A tight-knit team. Startups usually operate with only a small number of people, so you’d certainly be able to form a solid bond with them, including the founders themselves. You’d be joining a tight-knit team that has a specific mission to accomplish and goals to achieve. You get to deal with all types of personalities, and knowing how to handle different characters is a skill that cannot be missed.
Future financial opportunities. With a startup budget at hand, you might think twice about receiving a pay check with smaller digits, but this doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to get your hands full with some financial opportunities at bay. Some startups will offer you a stake in their stocks and a chance to increase your salary.

Joining a startup is a roller-coaster ride. There would definitely be ups and downs as you are still starting to invade your chosen field. Trusting your career to a startup can be your training ground to come up with the right decisions in the future.