A rivalry of a different sort

given the choice - as I might be getting here soon - who would you work for. A large Fortune 500 company, with great name but lots of red tape or a smaller company that focuses on a local market, and competes with the big boys...both have pros and cons...

which ever one helps you build your network better.

Go for the best package of benefits and retirement.

my own small company where I don't have to put up with anyone else's bullcrap

Its all about the benjamins...so ask RDub

A big company will typically train better and look better on your resume. They also typically have better benefits and can afford to compete with any salary that the smaller guys can offer. Good Luck.

Gig 'Em

I do agree with the idea of starting big and then going small.

In general, if you're just starting out, I'd go with the big company - they are much more likely to have the resources and the structure to get your career development kickstarted.

On the other hand, if you've put in your time at the sludge factory, I'd go with the small company - they are much more likely to let you define your own career path and let you put your stamp on the company.

I spent time at two of the biggest technology companies out there. They were great for structured learning and skills development, but they each bored me after 2 years or so.

I'm now at a company that's big enough to have a presence, but small enough (and young enough) to have a wealth of opportunity to call your own shots. I'm the only person in this company's history to have held the job I hold. Consequently, I've defined my job and how it gets done, as well as the jobs reporting to me. That's fun. After more than 5 years, I still look forward to going to work. I never looked forward to going to work at the other companies I've worked for.

Wherever you go, make damn sure that your boss is someone who can teach you something, no matter how senior you are.

i'll stick to my big company since i live about 5 mins away from it - more sleep for me in the mornings

largely depends on your own aspirations. I've worked for big companies most of my career (Apple, Adobe, now Microsoft). I'm about to quit my job and go to work for a startup company to be employee #7, while I work on my degree in marine ecology.

Bottom line is, do what you think will feed your soul. I have had a 20 year career in making money for stockholders. Not very satisfying. Lucrative, but not satisfying.

It's time in my own career to try to make a difference in the world around me, rather than in the moneybelt of a few rich people. You may be in a different place than I am.

-td

you worked for adobe? designed the software?

no, the mud hut, out west of clovis

Thanks for the input as I have worked for two big companies before and they each had pros and cons - now that I want to get into sales, I think a big company may be the way to go to learn the ropes...

Surf, to say I "designed the software" would be a gross overstatement. I worked in marketing for a while (doing end user and usability study and testing), and also worked on some of the interface design teams. I didn't write code, but I did help design some of the user interface(s). It was a fun company to work for... did about 10 years there.

Before changing to "TechDiver", my handle here was "AdobeDavid".

Got to know some very interesting people when I was there. Been at Microsoft for 2 years... don't like Microsoft nearly as much.

-td

After almost 20 years of working at several billion dollar corporations, I have been working at a 20 person start-up company since December.

It is totally different. I have significant input on both the development and execution of the strategy/business plan as well as visibility into the financials. It is totally void of the Dilbert-like qualities found in large companies. Way less politics and bureaucracy.

The downside is that career-wise, my last position was managing a 30 person IT/Ebusiness department. I have 8 or 9 here. Ideally, I should go from 30 to 50-70, not 30 to 10 people. I have a larger role, all of IT and Marketing, but less people.

The biggest thing for me is that at a big company, you can bust your butt and work all these hours and really makes little difference in the big scheme of things. Like using an oar to help steer a battleship. In a small company, your efforts have a bigger impact on the success and I personally find it much more rewarding, like your work has some level of purpose.

Also, the benefits are better at a big company as well as the base salary. Depending on the company, the wild card may be the equity opportunity with a smaller company. A lot of things to consider.

I've never been in sales, but have big and small company experience. I think the advantages of a big company in a sales job are probably lesser than other positions such as finance and marketing. You need to find someone that has a great product to sell and somewhere where you feel you will get plenty of support/training/mentoring if you are changing career paths.

You could always work for a small skunk works group in a giant company and get the benefits of both.

I'll take the big company with their big budgets.

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A big company will typically train better and look better on your resume. They also typically have better benefits and can afford to compete with any salary that the smaller guys can offer. Good Luck.

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A year into working with a small-time company leads me to agree heartily with this statement. I love small business, but the fact is that the big boys can pay you more, and you don't have to worry about what happens if your wife gets pregnant.


http://www.wearyellow.com

I work for a small company.
The hours are long but the pay sucks.

Find a small company with at least 20 million in gross receipts for the past few years. They are very stable, can offer very competative salaries, and do not have the red tape and politics of big companies. I work for a small company (30 employees) and we have pulled several people from very large companies with more money. We should be near 60 million in sales this year (already at 25MM and our fiscal year is less than half over), so don't knock the small companies.

[This message has been edited by AG1996 (edited 8/2/2005 9:26a).]

Buy a caddy and become a pimp!
Good pay and benefits.

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if your wife gets pregnant

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This is hitting home right now. I've worked for big companies and small companies, but now that I'm an IT contractor, I've discovered how much I miss those company benefits. I also found that in the State of Texas an individual cannot get health insurance that covers maternity (and yes, my wife is pregnant). But whatever the cost, we're both happy and looking forward to this addition to our family.

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work for a small company.
The hours are long but the pay sucks.

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