Daniel Brusilovsky

[...] Why Large Corporations Fail (danielbru.com) [...]

I would have to agree that working in a start-up would be much better because as you said, your "voice can be heard," and at start-ups they are not closed-minded to new ideas. Start-ups will basically want to try any new idea you throw at them. Although I have never worked for either type of company, that is my opinion on which type of company I would rather be a part of.

@SkyFire: Of course you count as Teens in Tech Staff! :) @JackieDanicki: I think I based this blog post of my opinion. I worked in a semi-large corporation before working at Qik which was called Remend, and I was on the IT staff. There were about 75-100 people working for the company, and at times, it was really hectic, kind of like a start up. With a start-up you know that you are building something that can possibly change the world in one way. The start-up atmosphere is something that I enjoy, and I love working with you at Qik :) @ScottInTheOC: Thats exactly what I am saying with large corporations. If you want to change something, your voice isn't going to get heard unlike in a start-up. Seeing that I am only 15, I still have a LONG way to go until I really know what working full time is :) My dream of working for Apple still stands ;) @MaxNorman: Max, your correct. Neither of us have enough to experience to judge what it really means to work in a large corporation, but I do know what it feels like to work in a start-up, and a medium sized company. As time comes, we will know more and more about the fields that we are in. Only time can tell ;)

I would have to say that I agree, but I also don't think that either of us has enough experience to make a qualified decision. While there are thousands of disgruntled employees in large corporations, there are tons of happy, productive workers in more proactive, forward-thinking companies, like Google (and many more, which we probably don't know about.)

Daniel, I've worked for non-profits(<40), large corporations (5000+) and small companies (<100). While there is much appeal to working for a small company where your contributions seem to impact the bottom line on a daily basis, I have also seen where that environment can hinder a small company's ability to grow. A close-knit group of individuals forget how to lead and next thing you know growth is at a standstill because now everything is by consensus because no one wants to hurt someone else's feelings. On the flip-side, working in a large corporation, you feel that your voice is never heard. You are lost in a sea of employees. In order to gain any saneness, you have to keep your mind focused strictly on your department otherwise you lose focus. As you travel through the corporate ladders of a small start-up or the elevators of the huge towers in a corporation you only have one question you need to answer: Are you happy and do you feel you are contributing to YOUR success. :)

It depends on what you value. Some people don't want to take the risk of working with a start-up and would rather bet on what they perceive to be a sure thing: working for a large corporation. But as lay-offs at Yahoo and Starbucks show, risk is everywhere. Still, not everyone is entrepreneurial or interested in knowing the people they work with - they just want to put their heads down, churn out work, and leave it all at the office at the end of the day. I can understand this approach, especially if the person has a lot going on outside of work (such as caring for children or elderly parents, or heavy involvement in a hobby or even their own start-up). Also, some people want to work for a large corporation because they feel it looks good on their resume - in the eyes of some, there is credibility in having been hired by a well known, sizable organization. If you value the ability to work with people you know and like, the autonomy and trust that lets you get things done, and the opportunity to turn ideas into reality (not to mention the chance to make some money when there's an exit), start-up life is the way to go. But not everyone values those things as much as you or I may.

Do I count as a staff of a startup-Teens In Tech?