There are lot of startups emerging in and around you. “Why shouldn’t I join a startup?” this question might pop up in many of our minds. The answer is to read the below article and make your decision. Remember its going to be completely different from a normal software job. A strong and unique personality is highly required to be part of a startup.
As two sides of a coin, it has its amazing benefits and downsides too. The last thing you think about before trying any company is how big is their ideas. Here are some of the main indicators that can help you in the deciding process.
Ownership:
Strong software employees are self directed, decisive with good perspective, driven towards collecting every bit of information for project completion, futuristic thoughtfulness, and an end-to-end responsibility for the business goals. “Working in a startup is not easy. It is like being in college where a small group of people put up a production together. Building something with a small team is the beauty of a startup”, says Nandini – the first employee of Urban Ladder. Startup job offers you everything– right from coding/designing modules, helping customers with support issues, recruiting new team members, ideating on what kind of products to build, to fire fighting outages in the middle of the night. That’s why remember, every employee is like an entrepreneur while working in a startup.The critical point is that these employees have the initiative and confidence to determine—and take—the best course of action.
Passion and belief:
Thousands of startups come in every year and there are only few startups that stand up for long term with stability and innovation. When you are ready for doing what you are passionate about, look for places worth doing it for. If you don’t believe in the product/vision enough to work long hours and throw yourself into achieving the company’s goals, you probably won’t do well at an early stage startup.
Startups requires a tactful work with believing. A startup that inspires you with the room for your ideas/opportunities would be the best bet to put in all your efforts. The founder of the startup would be striving hard for years for the implementation of their idea, working closely with them would bring in many business ideas too.
Adventurous:
At its core, the whole business model is a like a lottery. Expecting any company to be stable all through the while is a big mistake. Surviving the market is the biggest challenge for any company. The risk factor is high on an early stage startup. Find the founder vision and the ongoing projects with the status of the company, before joining a startup. If you are willing to take up the risk for what you believe in, then it would be definitely worth it. When you are clear about it, get ready for the adventurous treasure hunt of finding the valuable next Silicon valley.
Talent and Adaptability:
Though you are passionate to work smart and get your mark in the startup, you have to fast at learning and adapting to new skills are equally important. Startups build at a faster phase of sprints, being skillful is highly prioritized. A startup is not a being a part of a large system, but being one of the large system. You will have to play different roles like developer, lead, analyst etc. , hence greatness is the main ingredient to be in a startup. In the beginning stages especially, it’s all hands on deck. And even going forward, the startup culture is one that encourages coders to code, no matter what rank you hold on the engineering team. There are plenty of growth opportunities in a successful startup with hands on in all the areas. This might make you reach higher roles while the company grows and company would see you as a promising contributor.
Is startup right for your new job?
Deepak Dhar heads operations at Citrus Pay says “The usual simple reason; I want my contribution to matter. At most big places you are just another brick in the wall.”. He also adds “Initially there were so many challenges that sometimes one questioned oneself whether it was all worth it. Have asked multiple times in the last two-and-a-half years, if it is all worth it. The answer has always been a resounding yes. Surprisingly, for a different reason every time! Keep finding the reason that makes it worth for you.”
Some are safer, some are not predictable. Do you research and select the startup which is in sync with your vision. I would say if you have the leadership and willingness to strive in an emerging environment, a startup would give back enormous growth opportunities and your stand in the company.