6 Reasons Why You Should Choose A Startup Over A Corporate Job
You may have wondered about the differences between working in a large corporation and working at a fast-growing startup. Which is a better choice for you and your career goals? And what is it really like working at a startup? We managed to get details on what the difference is and why it could be a great idea for you to work at a startup from one of the Metro’s most sought after startups today—Magic, Inc. Here are the seven things David Merriman, one of the co-founders of Magic, and Pep Santos, one of Magic’s team leaders, have to share about their experience at a startup.
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1. You’ll work in an awesome atmosphere with awesome people.
One of the many benefits of working at a startup is the tight-knit team and the amount of collaboration that happens on a regular basis. At a startup, culture is king. “We’re growing and expanding rapidly, yet we have taken great care to maintain the culture of being small enough to know everybody by name and face. We value each other like family. We have no dress code–I mean, where can you find a co-founder who wears flip flops to work? We’re very work casual, but then again, we still work really hard to achieve the goals we set for ourselves,” shares David as he describes Magic’s culture.
“It’s so easy for us to give our ideas. You always feel like you really matter in the company. And the best part is you get to work with people who encourage you all the time, and who genuinely cares about your well-being,” says Pep as he recalls how Magic’s family-like culture never fails to offer all the help they could provide when problems arise, even on a personal basis.
2. You’ll get to be part of the inner workings of the company.
“Another interesting thing in a startup is you get to see all of the inner workings of a company, well, at least for us. We have weekly meetings called the Town Hall where everybody is present, and we let them in about company updates—training, our future projects, finances of the company, and how we’re doing. We have a very open, transparent policy,” mentions David. Having transparency and an open communication in startup, or for any company for that matter, is highly important and is always encouraged. Open communication is also an aspect to help teams work harmoniously and successfully. And in Magic, there seems to be no shortage of that.
3. You’ll work in an interesting, challenging environment. Always.
There is no doubt that people look for how much the salary is in a job. But most people nowadays are ambitious and are eager to develop new skills and take on challenges. In a startup, things never remain the same. It’s a constant rollercoaster of change, and this is where the magic happens, this is what makes working here interesting and challenging for people. It is what makes it exciting. “One thing that people are surprised when they start working with us is how quickly we make decisions, and how quickly we iterate and improve upon our software, processes, and operations” mentioned David. “If you aren’t that used to that amount of change, it can really be a shock. We’re always busy solving new challenges. When you’re growing this quickly, every two or three weeks something changes, and we have to adapt. It’s really dynamic and exciting in that sense,” adds Pep.
4. You’ll have ownership over your work.
A lot of job seekers are drawn to startup because of its lack of bureaucracy. With big companies, you deal with endless approvals, red taps, and then ultimately, new ideas are held up for months, sometimes, even years. Startups have a relatively flat organizational structure, which allows team members to accomplish a lot more in a shorter timeframe. “When you work in a big company, there’s so many bureaucratic steps into making action happen, to even just try something. With startups, we have the ability to try things quickly and be nimble in the marketplace. Our team members are able to push projects through and actually finish them in a short amount of time,” mentions David.
5. You’ll get to wear many hats and advance to a higher position.
Working at a startup allows you to try on a lot of different hats and take on responsibilities you wouldn’t have thought of trying. This forces fast growth in your career.
“One thing I like about Magic is we promote very quickly and promote from within. We’re a high-growth startup, and we’re creating a brand new type of service, so we have every incentive to promote from within,” says David adding that they’re constantly pushing their employees forward and encourage them to try new things. “There are a lot of things I learned here. I’ve been improving my ‘out-of-the-box’ ideas and problem solving skills, in particular. But probably the biggest takeaway I’ve received here is how persistent we are as a company. Persistence is key. This can be both applied to work and in life, because with every problem that we face, you must not give up right away. You have to go through it, find out how to solve it, and just keep on plowing forward,” says Pep.
6. You’ll create real impact
It does sound a bit cliché, but in a startup, you really have an opportunity to create an impact, make a difference, and be heard. In a startup, each and every employee has a crucial role to the success of the company, and your contributions will matter. Sometimes, in corporate offices, your work often goes unnoticed because you’re just any other worker in a pool of other workers. If you’re the type that loves getting recognition with your wins (even the smallest of achievements), then this kind of environment is for you. If you’re into creating impact for yourself, the company, and for society, then working at a startup makes sense.
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