DISQUS

Enter Venture: Should you work for a startup? Here’s 9 reasons why I do.

  • Andrew Badera · 1 year ago
    As someone involved in a startup, as someone who got laid off from a young small business after 9/11, as someone who's seen several startups grow from nascency, let me tell you -- don't kid yourself. There are massive differences in job security, in paycheck regularity, between fulltime employment with an established company, FTE with a 1000+ corp, contract consulting, and employment of any type with a startup.

    No, the days of 40 years at the same company, where the company shows you as much loyalty as you do it, are no longer in fashion. Yes, working at a startup is typically more fun, sometimes more stressful, often more rewarding, than working at a more established, bigger company. No, working at a startup (nor any small business for that matter) is nowhere near as secure, particularly in these economic times, as a fulltime role with an established company. No job is guaranteed, but there is definitely variability in security, and expectations thereof. Working on infrastructure/enterprise type software that drives a corporation with double or triple digit million revenue is going to be more secure than working on the hottest new, but not yet profitable, web toy startup.
  • Andrew Badera · 1 year ago
    I suppose I should note, in addition to startups and small businesses, I have been, and am, employed by medium to Fortune 100 corps. The security varies, rest assured.
  • Ryan Graves · 1 year ago
    As someone in a huge corp you're not making it easy for me to stay...

    Thanks.
  • Andrew Badera · 1 year ago
  • Patrick · 1 year ago
    Alright! I touched on a nerve!

    Andrew, I don't really disagree with anything you've said. I'm not claiming one job is more stable than the other. The point is, people have options, and when I say people, I don't even think you're the target here. I laid out why I like my job now because I don't have a house / kids / car or really anything to my name to worry about. Ask me the same question in three years and you'll get a different response. Of course, at that point, the blog might have to be called "Venture" and not "Enter Venture"...
  • Iyer · 1 year ago
    Excellent post.