Is The Startup Lifestyle Right For You?
There’s a lot of reasons to love working for a startup.
There’s also a lot of things you need to know first before you leave your cushy government job or corporate gig and jump in head first. It takes a certain type of person who is willing to be flexible, work hard, and get shit done.
Having spent almost two years working for a startup that made data collection apps in a communications marketing role, here are the top 3 things you need to consider before you join the startup world:
1. There are no hours.
If you think that you can clock out at 5pm every day and shut everything down, that’s just not realistic. When I worked for a startup, my CEO was in San Francisco, we had an office in Tokyo, and I was in Halifax. My day started at 9am Atlantic and went on until the work was done. Pitch decks at 9pm were a very real thing.
2. Be flexible — it’s all hands on deck.
You may be hired to do one thing, but you’re going to end up doing everything. I was the Communications Manager, but this evolved to customer success, inside sales, office management, and Costco runs. There is no “not my job” in a startup, but that also gives you a chance to try new things and build your skills!
3. It’s not as stable as a large corporation, but it’s way more fun.
Working at a startup is an adventure, but you need to keep in mind the success rate of startups is 1 in 10. That’s right, 10% (The startup I worked for is now gone, by the way). But if you don’t mind taking a risk, there is huge benefit to working in the startup world. It’s a welcome change from the corporate grind.
At a startup, your ideas are appreciated and encouraged.
You’re making a very real impact. Basically, if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and get dirty, you will get to enjoy an unmatched culture of loving what you do, Friday foosball, stock options, and the unmistakeable feeling of contributing to something amazing that may just change the world.
You want in?
If you’re looking to make a change and connect with some startup jobs, join the Volta network to meet founders and find out about new opportunities every week. We’ll send you every job posting in the local startup scene, all together in the same place. No more job hunting, just interview prepping.
