The Epiphany: Moving from A Startup to A 100 Years Old Corporate
Detailing learning from a startup to an established corporate
Introduction
A year ago, I stepped away from a technology startup and joined a corporate that started back in 1923 (which marks 100 years in the coming 2023!).
Note: Both companies are in the field of data science realm, which many people acknowledge as a still-evolving industry.
Being in the fast-paced technology field, changes are the norm, and embracing changes is the only way in moving forward.
With a year of milestones after the transition, this article details the learning from the transition. Essentially, this post attempts to detail the observations of both entities, keeping it as general towards companies of a similar nature as possible.
The Analogy
Joining a company is very much like getting on board a boat(startup) or a ship(established corporate). Each vessel heading in one direction at one time, with crew members onboard playing a role in contributing towards the common goal.
1. Problem of the same nature, but different spectrum
The spectrum of chaos lies in the number of holes you have to fix at one time.
The Boat(The Start Up)
Continuing from the analogy raised, being at a startup often feels like being on a boat with multiple holes at the same time. The ability to prioritize which hole to fix will decide whether the ship will stay afloat or sink into the deep blue sea. Every day is a whole new day to prioritize and weigh which problem is worth-solving.
If you are an independent contributor, it ranges either to solving an existing bug or developing a new feature. If you are a team lead, it can be a presentation for a potential lead 2 hours away or deciding the roadmap of a product. If you are in a position of wearing multiple hats, which is often very common in a startup, all of those hustles are on your plate.
On some days, there are simply no options given that a problem has to solve at that particular moment. You simply have to drop everything else on your hands and attend to it. Example: an employee indicates that he is quitting, a bidding proposal is due, a single point of failure in a system, etc.
The Ship(The Established Corporate)
Contrary to that, being on a ship that has stayed afloat for decades and experienced countless tides, the number of holes to fix at each time is relatively lesser. This is ultimately the difference between a startup and an established corporate. Most importantly, the business is at the stage of financial stability with consistent revenue streams.
With the capital to expand and scale, departments and diversifying roles have been formed over the years to address different sets of concerns. Employees at the corporate have developed the best-known methods to tackle previously faced problems. New hires went through sessions of knowledge transfer to pick up skills needed to get work done. With prior knowledge, resources, and skillful teams, the impacts of setbacks are reduced extensively.
2. Changes are bound to happen.
The Boat(The Start Up)
With all the roller coaster rides that happen in a startup, burn-out happens and one would start to crave the stability which others have.
Note: Burnout is a form of exhaustion caused by constantly feeling swamped.
In the desire for a more manageable workload, at one point one will decides to switch to the corporate.
The Ship(The Established Corporate)
After the lengthy yet structured on-boarding process and a few good months to know the new team, it takes not long to realize that reorganization still happens and the focus of business is constantly reevaluated.
Internally, talent retention never gets easy, as smart people leave the company due to the lack of opportunity to work on high-profile projects or cannot relate daily work to the company’s visions.
Externally, Covid disruptions (2019–2021) and the new norms of post Covid (2022~) shift the focus of the company and directly impact the priorities of projects.
For example, in the year 2022, companies including Google, Netflix, Meta either declare layoffs of employees, freeze or cut back on hiring.
Summary
If it’s not already obvious, both startup and established are of a similar nature. The differences one might experience in a startup or a well-established corporate are just a matter of a different spectrum, but not a different set of reality.
The same problem that occurs in a startup would occur in a corporate, the difference fundamentally narrows down towards whether are you the person handling it or impacted by it.
It might be out of sight because it is covered by other teams which you are not aware of due to the silo organizational structure, or senior members have regrouped and settled the problem due to how the same hiccup has appeared before.
The uncertain factor of a startup is it is still at its defining stage. Each founding member hustle toward the organization’s mission. The established factor of a corporation is it has gone through the earlier stages. While transformations are still necessary, most building blocks of a company are already assembled. Work becomes routined and it brings stability to the employee pool.
The idea that a startup is uncertain and that a corporate is established is a double-edged sword. If you are considering joining one or quitting one, it is crucial to consider the nature of the company with your personal context.
Depending on your role given and your pursuit at that stage of your career life, these elements will decide whether the nature of an entity is a value-add or an unfavorable environment for you.
Thanks for reading!
