Big company or small?

This is a simple question.

Would you rather start your carrer being in small companys, or be part of big companys such as Bioware or blizard.

 

I would prefer a larger company.

 

Small.

 

Any reason why?

 

Bigger, Get experience without worrying about the hassles a company ceo has to deal with

 

How about starting with 1: yourself. Tried making a living doing it yourself?

 

small, you get to really know people that way, the bigger the place the more your treated like another cog in the wheel

 

very good point

 

small. much more intimate. you have a bigger say in everything that goes on.

 

Each has their advantages...

Small company good
-------------------------
More room to grow
More chance of being heard
If company has huge success you could well be a part of it

Small company bad
----------------------------
Often things aren't done correctly, i.e tax, leave etc
If there is personal tension in the office between people it's quite apparent and can affect the working environment
Limited networking (contacts) that can be made that could bring up other opportunities
Chance of closing down or you not getting paid more possible

Big company good
-------------------------
Get to meet and learn from lots of people
Tax, leave etc done properly
Small chance of closing down
Company perks usually

Big company bad
----------------------------
Little room to grow unless you're fantastic
You're just another 'pleb'
Often if you're not good at playing company politics it can affect your growth

 

Something to bear in mind is that at a small company you'll have to be more experienced and confident in your abilities since there's less people to pick up any slack and the budgets are often tighter meaning you'll likely have a bigger work load and will be expected to be able to cross disciplines. Therefore a larger company might be a better and less stressful learning environment. But like has been said, both have their advantages

 

You beat me to the punch on this one.

It all depends on training, skills, offers, etc. If I were a college grad and I got an offer from Blizzard or Bioware or even if I had a good chance at getting hired out of college I honestly would go big.

I can see pro's and con's to both sides as stated by Meltdown.

 

I would prefer to work at a small company, I don't want to be the guy that textures grass for 12 hrs a day in a cubicle (no offense to anyone)

It's kind of my fantasy to start my own small company though, with the same workflow ideas as Pixar (in it's early stages) and Ben Jerry. Close and personal careers!

edit: Note I didn't say it was realistic

 

Although I prefer to work for a small company, I'd rather begin my career in a big company, and then leave after a couple of years for small companies. Why? That good company looks really good on a resume, you'll meet a lot more people in the industry, you'll get a feel for how production works, and the job will unlock a lot of doors in the future.

 

I second this, that was my reasoning behind starting big

 

I never liked being relistic in the first placce but I would just perffer a small group of friends. Praying togeather to make a game changing title, wile we indure the grind of work day in day out. I dont know if it's just me but I tend to leave my self at the bottom so i may scratch my way to the top.

Also there may be an accational prank.

 

Personally i wouldn't do that w/o any experience. I think you learn the most in smaller companies.
But the work is likely harder and you get paid worse. On the other hand you have more freedom and variation (in smaller teams/companies).

I'd prefer smaller companies though, but that might be because i am in a kind of big company right now.

 

Small, i think it is more likely to be funner, and also get more into kahoots with more devs