Benefits vs Risks of Working for a Tech Start-Up

If you are a job seeker thinking about seeking employment with a tech startup, you are not alone. So many people are looking to become part of a young and thriving company, as there are a lot of benefits. That said, you have to make sure that you understand the benefits vs the risks of working for a tech startup. Only then can you make an educated decision about your career and the doors it may open to future opportunities.

So before you embark on your job search, take a look below to find out the pros and cons of working for a tech startup over an established company.

Benefits of Working for a Tech Startup

Working for startup companies can be a unique experience, but it’s not all about skateboarding in the hallways or having access to quality gaming rooms. Although, many startups do have very cool workspaces.

Creativity and innovation are vital to the success of a tech business. Therefore, it is not uncommon for these kinds of companies to have a stimulating work environment. It’s also why tech startups offer benefits such as learning opportunities, flexible hours, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

As tech startup businesses thrive on creativity, their workspaces are usually pretty cool places to work.

Learning Potential

Working for a tech startup is a great way for you to push the boundaries when it comes to your learning potential. Startups tend to place a great deal of responsibility on their team.

While a tech startup may hire you for your skills, the founder will likely expect a great deal from you once you’re on board. They will be willing to show you everything you need to know, and they may offer opportunities for you to develop your skills by learning new technologies.

You may find that you often work outside your job description and that there is often no middle management. So, while you may work hard, you may also be in a position to learn from some highly influential people.

The learning opportunities within these young, entrepreneurial companies can give a great deal of job satisfaction for founders and employees alike.

Working Without Supervision

Tech startup employees often work without supervision, which means they get the chance to make big decisions. Such a level of autonomy presents the opportunity to be creative and innovative and steer progress, which will motivate you to try harder and perform better.

However, the flip side of this is that workers must also take responsibility for any consequences that may come later.

Startups often grow quickly, so they need team members on board who can show their worth and brilliance in every situation. As an employee of a tech startup, you may have the chance to experiment with fresh ideas and new concepts that capture and drive consumer interest.

Flexible Hours

Many tech startups tend to allow employees to work flexible hours, and some companies allow them to work from home. Flexibility is a fantastic perk if you are a professional with an active home life or if you want to juggle your home responsibilities with work.

Of course, working from home also means that you can be much more flexible with your work hours. For example, if you tend to be most creative at night, your employer will likely be willing to facilitate this. Being in charge of your work schedule means you are always in your best working mindset.

This way of working in corporate organisations is unheard of, but forward-thinking setups recognise that it benefits the business overall. Therefore, employees have complete confidence knowing their manager supports them when working at their optimum levels of creativity and efficiency.

Risks of Working for a Tech Startup

Before diving into a career with a tech startup, it is imperative to consider the cons alongside the benefits. We list some of the main ones below:

A Heavy Workload

First of all, you can expect a heavy workload. As startups rely heavily on their small teams, you may continually work over your contracted hours. Also, you may not have the luxury of being able to take holidays or vacations whenever you want.

You also need to capitalise on trends, with early growth being of the utmost importance. Stress and burnout are possible, and entrepreneurial business owners often expect their employees to work around the clock to get results.

Although an advertised salary may seem attractive, the hours you must work to earn it may make it feel as though you don’t get paid what you’re worth.

Lower Rate of Pay

Many young businesses fail because they do not bring in enough money to cover their outgoings. Therefore, before deciding to work at a startup, you must first consider what you’re worth per hour.

Your employer may offer what seems to be an attractive salary for the job. However, you can expect to work long hours when you accept a job offer with a startup.

Many job adverts state the salary, but the hours can vary from week to week, as the workload can also fluctuate. While some weeks may not seem so bad, you might not receive the pay you need to make it feel worth working all those long hours when a deadline is looming.

Lack of Structure

Lack of structure is common within young tech ventures where the leaders or founders blend in with the employees. The hierarchy often lacks clarity, and boundaries between job roles can appear a little blurry.

Blurred boundaries can cause problems when figuring out who is overseeing the project. This lack of clarity can leave employees feeling stuck if they have a particular issue, leading to workplace uncertainty.

Constant Changes

Change is constant for startups. As an employee working within a young organisation, you may find that you know what you are doing one minute, but the next, you are going in a completely new direction.

You may also find that the business implements changes with very little notice and that your responsibilities constantly fluctuate. Stability bunnies who need a job with a lot of structure may struggle with such changes at short notice.

So, there are many benefits to working with a tech startup, but there are also a lot of cons. Ideally, you need to ensure that you are a good fit for this kind of working environment before applying for a position because although some people thrive, others find the lack of structure difficult.

Depending on the type of person you are, something you view as a pro to working for a tech startup, someone else might consider a con.

A Few Final Thoughts on The Pros and Cons of Working for a Tech Startup

When weighing up the risks vs benefits of working for a tech startup business, you need to consider the type of person you are. For example, some individuals work best in organisations with clear order and structure. However, other people thrive on constant change and having the chance to prove themselves.

Whether you might do well in a startup may also depend on which stage of your career you are at. For example, a recent university graduate may be willing to tolerate working long hours for a few years if that work experience looks good on their CV.
After reading this article, you may decide that working for a tech startup is either your dream job or absolutely not for you. Whichever camp you fall into, we have tech jobs in companies of all sizes in our latest tech jobs.

This article was first published in the Adria Solutions blog. See here: Benefits vs Risks of Working for a Start-up.