Recently, as the new school year just begun, all our summer internships were wrapping up. Because of my experiences interning over the summer in LA, I realized the new skills I learned working for a startup. Over the summer, I interned at a tech advertising agency that started a couple of years ago. Interestingly enough, it was not a huge office and the company was growing exponentially. Because of this, I feel that I learned many skills and gained much knowledge that I probably wouldn't have gotten working for a big company. A lot of startups fall under the tech category and I can say that I am definitely grateful that I got to experience the work life at a startup in such a bustling city.
One of the main benefits and powers of working in a startup is that it is a small number of people. This means that I was able to make close relationships with all my managers and managers from different teams, giving me a close-knit network in the industry. I believe that when working for any company, being close to your co-workers is an essential and vital part of company culture. When working for a big company, it can get difficult to get in a coffee chat with your higher-ups or supervisors, but in a startup, I can say it is a whole lot easier to talk to anyone about your work and even your life in general.
Another great aspect of working, which can vary from different startups is flexibility. Because it was a growing company, my schedule was definitely a lot more flexible in that I can work from home some days and I can tackle many projects rather than just one huge project. I got to input my opinion and thoughts into what projects I wanted to take on and what work needed to be done. Giving input into a great project is definitely rewarding in that I knew that I made an impact on the end result. It was extremely satisfying that I got to see all the work I put into a project be developed into something successful and greater.
There are so many benefits to working at a startup. Being an undergraduate in university, I can say that many people aim and strive to work at a big name company and that working for a small company is a waste. After working for a smaller company and especially one that is still growing, there are so many more opportunities and chances to go up and network. I am extremely proud of being given the opportunity to work for a startup and gain the skills, knowledge, and networking that I would not be able to have gotten working for a big company. In the future, no matter what industry I go into for my career, startups are definitely a solid choice in choosing my job.
