EntrepreNerdBlog

Working for a startup is a more wholesome experience than most corporate jobs.  Lets begin at the point of entry, the application process.   At a startup, you have to look at several aspects rather than just the job description to write your cover letter and prepare for the interview.    For instance, the leadership team and company history really matter at a startup where as knowing the CEO’s name and a quick glance at at the corporate history on Wikipedia is good enough for a corporate job.  At a startup, the CEO’s decisions have a much frequent/higher impact on employees.  Other than the bullshit once a quarter CEO web-conferences, few people know/care what the CEO does at a corporate.

Company positioning, competitors, progress etc also matter more at a startup.  At a corporate, people still apply/get permanent cushy jobs at companies going down the hill with poor mgmt (Ex: Yahoo!).  While Yahoo may be half way to its grave, it still got a few years in its lifeline. And when that critical point comes, the company will simply be bought out rather than shutting down doors.
What matters at a corporate is the 100 word job description and your boss.  More likely than not, everything a prospective employee may do, has been filled into the box.  The job is highly specialized and the templates are almost already built.  At a startup thats hardly the case.  Its more important to showcase that you can learn on the fly and have no problem doing seemingly unrelated tasks.  You are the person that writes the job description since no one really knows the tasks that will come up.
The biggest difference is the rush for the unknown that bring fantastic adventures and failures.  You may end up in India for 6 months without a solid game plan/task list in place for all you know.  Yeah sure, people go abroad with corporate jobs as well.  But, you are doing same work at the same odd hours.   At a corporate job, the rush comes when you take the paycheck to the mall.  The job really has little room for excitement or the unknown after the first 6 to 12 months (maybe 24 months).  Most things are mapped out including the promotions and pay scale.

If you prefer going to Six Flags everyday, then th startup job is for you (well, not if you only stand in line for the tea cups )  Start applying today.  Enternships is a great website to find entreprenurial jobs and mass mail startups you are looking to work at.  If you can’t write code, show them you are a hustler and will do whatever needs to get done.  Every startup needs one of those and will more likely that not let you jump on board.  Apply to startups that have a strong leadership team, have traction or about to get on the road.  Work for close to free and do it for learning. If you are under 25, you really don’t have many responsibilities and don’t have much to lose.   Do it for 3, 6 or 12 months, but do it.

Its worth it, I tell you from experience.