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Rodney · 10-22-2005, 05:28 PM

If you're speaking about engineering and knowledge working in its various forms, I prefer small companies . I don't like bureaucracy, and I don't like having two or three middle managers between me and the guy I need to talk to, sometimes purposefully blocking communication for their own reasons. Small companies are politics-free -- or if there are politics, it's very clear what they are. Small companies are more likely to be staffed with self-motivated, competent individuals; because if they aren't, they go out of business. Plenty do, of course -- that's the risk. On the other hand, big companies have huge layoffs these days as well.

Big companies can and do carry a large pad of hangers-on who don't carry their weight. If you have a short fuse for stupidity and inefficiency, you won't be incredibly happy at really large companies. (I should qualify and say that I consider a "small company" to be anything with 150 or fewer employees. You can just about know 150 people well enough to do business informally, and it's that informal way of doing business that usually characterizes smaller companies and gives them flexibility.)

If you work for a small company, you're morely likely to have full charge of a contract. If you work for a large one, you'll be a cog in a team and your experience will be less broad. If the big company is progressive and works in a lot of areas, on the other hand, you may have more in-depth experience over time.

All that said -- I would not make the decision on the basis of money or salary or even security (especially since you're young, with plenty of time and few incumbrances).

I would make the decision on the basis of what experience you can get on the job you choose, what you can learn from it. Your real education is just beginning, with this job; you'll spend the rest of your life making and keeping yourself marketable by what you learn. Which job will teach you the things you need to make you even more valuable to employers further down the line in a line of work that you'd actually feel inspired about being in?

10-22-2005, 05:28 PM	#2 (permalink)
Rodney Observant Ruminant Location: Rich Wannabe Hippie Town	If you're speaking about engineering and knowledge working in its various forms, I prefer small companies . I don't like bureaucracy, and I don't like having two or three middle managers between me and the guy I need to talk to, sometimes purposefully blocking communication for their own reasons. Small companies are politics-free -- or if there are politics, it's very clear what they are. Small companies are more likely to be staffed with self-motivated, competent individuals; because if they aren't, they go out of business. Plenty do, of course -- that's the risk. On the other hand, big companies have huge layoffs these days as well. Big companies can and do carry a large pad of hangers-on who don't carry their weight. If you have a short fuse for stupidity and inefficiency, you won't be incredibly happy at really large companies. (I should qualify and say that I consider a "small company" to be anything with 150 or fewer employees. You can just about know 150 people well enough to do business informally, and it's that informal way of doing business that usually characterizes smaller companies and gives them flexibility.) If you work for a small company, you're morely likely to have full charge of a contract. If you work for a large one, you'll be a cog in a team and your experience will be less broad. If the big company is progressive and works in a lot of areas, on the other hand, you may have more in-depth experience over time. All that said -- I would not make the decision on the basis of money or salary or even security (especially since you're young, with plenty of time and few incumbrances). I would make the decision on the basis of what experience you can get on the job you choose, what you can learn from it. Your real education is just beginning, with this job; you'll spend the rest of your life making and keeping yourself marketable by what you learn. Which job will teach you the things you need to make you even more valuable to employers further down the line in a line of work that you'd actually feel inspired about being in? Last edited by Rodney; 10-22-2005 at 05:34 PM..