Switch to a large company for future opportunities?

[BradP]

I am early in my career working for a small niche company right now, doing a lot of mechanical design. It seems like great experience to me; I am learning a lot about machine parts, manufacturing processes, and drawings. However, I might have an opportunity to move into a large, well-connected company. The position I applied for doesn't exactly sound great -- there is a lot of "paperwork", or mundane organization and data management. But there are definitely a lot of intellectually stimulating areas of the company that I would like to move into. And there could be some very useful and interesting things about the potential position too. One of these jobs has a lot of things going for it -- location, working environment, types of employees...but I won't say which. Because I am wondering if it is worth making the switch just for the more numerous opportunities that a large company can open up.

 

[Monte_Carlo]

BradP,

This may seem a bit off-topic, but I'm one of those curious types who believe that all manufacturing is now in China. I'm trying hard to disabuse myself of these ideas. Are you based in U.S.? If you are, what are your thoughts or misgivings about future of U.S. manufacturing?

Thanks,

Monte

 

[BradP]

Well, that is a bit off-topic :) But both the company of my current job and my prospective job do the manufacturing. I am not too worried, as there are some things that just can't be outsourced effectively. Manufacturing is where the real value is -- not just holding a place in the line of supply -- so I am more than willing to learn about manufacturing processes. Plus, if all manufacturing jobs are outsourced to China, there's nothing I can do about it. So I don't really worry.

And yeah, I'm in the U.S.

 

[Lucy66]

Hi, I am new here, and I also have a similar question. Which is better, to work in a small company or a large company?

 

[twofish-quant]

Hi, I am new here, and I also have a similar question. Which is better, to work in a small company or a large company?

It depends. There are well-run small companies, badly-run small companies, well-run large companies, and badly-run large companies.

Personally, I think it's most useful to work somewhere "different." If your last job was a small company, go to work with a large company and vice versa.

 

[twofish-quant]

This may seem a bit off-topic, but I'm one of those curious types who believe that all manufacturing is now in China. I'm trying hard to disabuse myself of these ideas. Are you based in U.S.? If you are, what are your thoughts or misgivings about future of U.S. manufacturing?

There are some types of manufacturing that can be outsourced, and some types that can't be. Personally, I think that everything that has gone overseas in manufacturing has already gone overseas, and curiously, the Chinese government is trying very hard to get itself *out* of the outsourcing business. The standard of living in China has risen to the point that if you talk to a factory manager in Guangdong, they are talking about how hard it is to make money because the cheap labor is gone.

That may not be such a good thing for the US. The US research university system is based on importing large numbers of Chinese and Indians, and this could be really bad if Chinese and Indians find better job opportunities at home. Also, if China goes out of manufacturing, the jobs aren't going back to the US. They'll end up in Vietnam or Indonesia.

One thing that is the case is that there is a huge demand for US schools by Chinese *undergraduates*. While this would keep the schools afloat I worry about what it will do to the US science infrastructure.

 

[twofish-quant]

Plus, if all manufacturing jobs are outsourced to China, there's nothing I can do about it. So I don't really worry.

You could move to China.

One of the advantages of working for a large multi-national company is that if the opportunities are in China, it's possible to get yourself moved there. One other interesting thing about working in a large company is that it gives you an international perspective on things.

For example, you go to a meeting, and you have in the back of your mind that what the company is about to do is awful because it moves jobs from the US to India. They you realize that it's going to be pointless to mention this at the meeting, because a third of the people there are Indian, and you are the only American in the room, and it's a Korean company and your boss is Swedish and his boss is Polish.

 

[Lucy66]

It depends. There are well-run small companies, badly-run small companies, well-run large companies, and badly-run large companies.

Personally, I think it's most useful to work somewhere "different." If your last job was a small company, go to work with a large company and vice versa.

Thanks, but I am worried that, it is not so easy to work in a large company.

 

[caffenta]

Thanks, but I am worried that, it is not so easy to work in a large company.

Well, I have worked in large (40,000+ employees), mid-size, and smallish (100 or so employees) companies, and my personal experience was that the small one was the worst. However, I wouldn't blame it on the company size. It was just a bad company.

I agree with twofish-quant:

It depends. There are well-run small companies, badly-run small companies, well-run large companies, and badly-run large companies.

 

[kote]

If mobility is important to you, consider your opportunities for career growth at your small company. Do positions exists that you could be promoted into? Would you have to wait for someone to retire for there to be an opening? One advantage of a larger company is that if someone wants to promote you they can usually find a place to put you.

As for US manufacturing, watch the State of the Union tomorrow.