5 Reasons You Should Work For A Startup

I think the article’s title is a dead giveaway of what it's about so to mix things up I'm going to start on the flip side and tell you why you shouldn’t do as it says. 

In order to do that I need to take you a couple of years back into my career. 

I'd just gotten a new job at an exciting startup (they all are by the way) in the city and barely two minutes into my office tour my new boss calls for an emergency departmental meeting. We are told that the recruitment drive we had for field officers in Morogoro, Tanzania had attracted twice the number of candidates than was expected.

By twice I mean five hundred more (that's right) people than expected, which was great because we wanted to scale up our operations.

So our boss immediately tells me and nine of my other colleagues to pack our bags and prepare to travel across the border the next morning. Where were required to support the team that had already set-up base in Morogoro. From here on it was pure chaos, booking last minute buses, getting unexpected mandatory yellow fever shots at the border, getting lost in Morogoro and that is just the half of it, the tip of the iceberg, a scratch of the surface!

Such is the chaotic work life of a startup, for some it may be less dramatic than that but you never really know what to expect when working in an experimental environment. So, if you thrive to work in a well-structured corporate set-up then stay away from these so-called Silicon Valley organizations as much as you can.

But also, here's my counter-proposal. I'm a self-proclaimed 'startup junkie' and I believe that all fresh graduates should earn their corporate stripes working for a startup and this is why.

1. There is no such thing as a static job description at a startup. You get exposed to all kinds of work in various parts of the business operations. Of course, this can be a big challenge for someone inexperienced in a startup environment and can even be a bit overwhelming at times. However, if you can adapt to the fast pace, you'll be gaining invaluable experience and knowledge that would take much longer to acquire in a corporate setting.

2. Impact! Impact! Impact! Have you ever toiled on a proposal for hours, days, heck! even weeks just to have it shelved? There is no such time to waste at a startup, every project you work on comes as a result of necessity. Each employee in a startup has the capability to directly influence the success of the business. While it's undoubtedly a lot more pressure, it's also a lot more satisfying when you can truly get to see ‘your egg hatch into a chick'. You feel a greater sense of purpose in your job and value in your work.

3. Excitement, startups by their nature are fast-moving, dynamic and innovative. There'll always be new opportunities and challenges to sink your teeth into and the working environment rarely stales. Being part of the startup community also means you'll meet a number of inspiring entrepreneurs and benefit from the networking events and supports on offer. The connections you make through working in a startup will stand to you at every stage of your career.

4. You learn to be part of a cohesive, result driven team. It's either go hard or go home and with the fast-paced environment that comes with a startup there is no time to waste on team dynamics. It's not down to some magical cultural formula, it's down to necessity. A startup team spends so much time together (usually in close quarters) that they need to be in tune with one another's skill sets, preferred style of communication and workload limitations.

5. You will get an edge over others next time you're on Brighter Monday. Candidates who have worked in startups are highly sought after for their work ethic, self-motivation and flexibility. Regardless of the role or industry, an employee who can bring determination and accountability to a company will always be a desirable prospect for hiring managers.

Of course, at the end of the day, I understand the appeal of working for the Safaricoms, EABLs, KCBs and PWCs of the country. Some even prefer to get desk jobs at a government office. The reality of startup companies is that they aren't for everyone, and one person's cons may be another person's pros. However if your young energetic and very green in your career I highly recommend you get a gig with one.

Got to go now, I've just been informed that our sales manager called in sick and that I need to somehow find a suit (I don't own any) and learn conversational mandarin within the next five minutes in order to cover for him by closing our new investors from the East. Startups I tell you!