Corporate, Startup or Freelance: How to Choose The Right Career Path
“Where do you want to work?”
This is such a big question, of which the possibilities are seemingly endless for those who are relatively new to the workforce. But in reality, the type of environment you’ll excel in actually has a lot to do with your personality.
In other words, you’re not as lost as you may feel in your quest to choose the right career path. If anything, you may just need to start looking inward rather than out in the great wide open (i.e.: stop going to psychics and reading Chicken Soup for the Soul!) to determine the type of workplace that’s really right for you. Just take a few minutes to understand the options and then head over to our personality assessment.
The Corporate Gig
Often, life within a large firm is all about definition. You’ll know precisely where you fall in the hierarchy, what is expected of you, and how you are being assessed. Your hours, vacation and pay are all explicitly laid out. However, this type of environment doesn’t have as much wiggle room as others. You’re operating as part of a larger machine, so coloring too far outside of the lines is a big risk. That said, there is an incredible amount of comfort in the stability of this type of employment.
Startup Life
Startups are typically fast-paced environments in which all the moving parts have to be willing to do their own learning and self-direction. Sure, there are real goals and objectives as well as a hierarchy, but the culture is often filled with trial and error. Consequently, the best types of individuals for this environment are those who are inherently curious and interested in learning through their own devices. There will be moments of misdirection and days full of chaos, but when the firm wins, it reverberates through everyone involved.
Flying Solo
Anyone can start a business, but it takes a select personality to actually succeed beyond the abysmal failure statistics of new businesses. Tenacity, fearlessness and confidence are critical. You’ve to be a doer who isn’t afraid of failure because, without doubt, you’ll experience your fair share of it. Whether you go the freelance route or establish a full-fledged business, you’ll find that your time will be focused on accommodating to the inconsistent ebb and flow of schedule – some weeks your schedule will look barren, but most weeks you’ll be putting in sixty hours. Like the successful startup employee, you too will need a deep sense of curiosity, but unlike their situation, you are your only safety net.