🐋Would you thrive in a startup?
The data is in on startup vs. big tech employee happiness. Plus, hot new roles in HR @Tesla, Product Marketing @DocuSign, Learning Specialist @Coinbase, and more!
What’s up, Tech Pod!
So, something cool — AngelList and Blind got together to compare employee happiness at tech startups vs tech giants, and found that one group is 30% happier than the other.
You may think it’s the prestige and extra perks of FAANG (or now, MAANG?) and Fortune 500 companies. However, data revealed they don’t contribute to work satisfaction as much as we’d expect.
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The biggest contributing factors?
Skill development 🔧
Opportunity for growth 🌲
…A.K.A exactly what we students and recent grads need and want.
Every decision comes with pros, cons, and a little bit of risk — but you may find that the upside aligns perfectly with your priorities and career goals.
This week, let’s break down why stepping off the path more traveled and onto the startup route may be best for you.
1. You’ll get gritty
It’s common for people to see working for a startup as risky, and it isn’t entirely misguided — only about 10% of startups make it.
But, here’s why it might not really matter:
Ups and downs are inherent: sometimes you’ll be confident that you’re on a rocketship and other times, you’ll be faced with the challenging reality of what it takes to create a successful business. This is where you develop the grit and the fortitude to push past setbacks and uncertainty. No matter what changes with the company, these traits stay with you (and they look great on a resume).
Transition is inevitable: new grads average 2-4 years at a company regardless of the size of the company they join. Those coming out of startups have been exposed to much more speed, agility, and change than those coming out of larger companies. You’ll be more equipped to take ownership over your future search, and operate with less direction. Since you’ve taken a greater risk, you can often expect a greater reward.
2. Learn more, faster
Work closely with founders and leaders: when there aren’t 4 layers of management between you and the founder, you can learn from them directly about everything from improving in your role, to leadership, and tactical entrepreneurship. You’re given the chance to propose ideas, changes, and solutions for the organization that you wouldn’t have in a big organization.
Startups expect autonomous work from the start: at large companies, it’s common to “do your time” before being granted ownership over your work. At a startup, there’s so much high-value work to do that it’s expected that you’ll learn as you go, break things, fix things, and design solutions as you move up.
Cut the red tape: most enterprises have bureaucratic systems, and strict rules for getting things done. If you prefer to tinker, work independently, and be creative — you’ll enjoy working in a startup that encourages just that. Without elaborate systems in place, startups are powered by the creative problem solvers that work on the fly within it.
3. Grab more growth
Prioritize learning: you’ll get the chance to get into roles you’re interested in without the experience a big company might require. Many startup recruiters prioritize interest and desire to learn over all else — encouraging them to take a bet on someone who may not have all the experience upfront.
Expedite your resume: because startups have smaller teams, you’ll have the opportunity to work on projects that may have been considered outside of your experience level elsewhere. (But once you’ve done it…poof, you’re now qualified)
Infinite mobility: when you do great work you’ll be rewarded with upward movement faster. The path upwards is faster — lead and launch new teams, offices, projects, etc as the company scales.
Hot opportunities, fresh out of the oven! 👨🍳
👩💻Internship
Marketing and Communications, TuneIn
Corporate Communications, Circle
👨🎓New Grad
Sales Finance and Strategy, Scale AI
Last words
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
― Ernest Hemingway
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Written by Jacqueline Mastrelli