Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don't know!
I work for a formerly small company and working at a start up is hard. I know what you mean about wearing many hats. It was the best move of my life. My company is no longer small and the high tides have certainly raised my ship. I now have a team. We have matured so much. I'm so glad I stuck it out. As one of the original loyal employees when our company was a nobody, my willingness to help grow the compnay has paid off. I no longer work the greuling hours (honestly I work under 40), I have full flexiblity, my pay has doubled and I'm part of someting really big and great. I know the company so well, that my historical knowledge is so valuable, I can do this job in my sleep.
Just think about it. That large company you are considering going to, at one point was a small company. Those people who started it pratically work as a hobby. There are big pay outs for risk and a willingness to battle through the growing pains.
If I were to move to a new company it would be a start up again. Nothing is more thrilling than helping something grow to success. It feels great to have been a part of that. My job is so easy now, but I feel so much pride in what we've accomplished.
Not OP, but how long is long enough to stick it out with a start up?
I was with mine for 5 years when I could declare us "big", I was employee #9, 8 months into the company's inception.
It depends on if you see potential. The founders of my company, I knew had what it took to make something great. We were always growing, always moving forward, always reinvesting, always trying something new. People were positive, excited, wanting to work hard. I felt the magic. Everyone did, it was pretty amazing to watch it all come together. After having this experience, i could never just be a cog in the wheel of some monsterous organization. My husband worked for SAIC and to me that looked like the most miserable soul sucking awful place one could work. I used to joke that he was retired because the productivity was pitiful. How do people go into work each day and just plug away at something useless or work in a job that has 3 people doing what one good person could do alone. Luckily he moved on to a smaller company where his contributions were more meaningful. For some people, it really is very tough on your self worth to not be able to let your potential shine and to just blend into the machinery.