Most of us are never going to work at a Google or a Goldman Sachs. Just getting a job at a place like that is really hard, and plenty of people don’t even aspire to work in these types of companies.
It’s important to remember that big superstar companies are not the only option for a viable career in the modern economy. What is essential is not that you necessarily end up at one of those mega-firms, but that you understand what type of company you’re in — and adjust how you think of your time there accordingly.
I tend to think of companies in three buckets. There are the winners, the superstar firms that are large, well-managed, and technologically advanced. There are the aspirants, smaller companies that aim to either topple the winners from their perch or, more commonly, be acquired by one. And there are the afterthoughts, companies that have faded from prominence or are struggling in some way, but may have some hidden strengths nonetheless.
It can be good for your career to work in any of these three types of companies; what is crucial is to have correct expectations.
It’s a lot like investing. The winner companies are the equivalent of growth stocks — successful companies expected to remain successful far into the future. The aspirants are like venture capital investing — risky, but with lots of upside. The afterthoughts are like value stocks — companies that may not be thriving but which, as a result, are often undervalued by the market.
With your career, you are like an investor who can only pick a single stock—you’re putting 40 or more hours a week of your life into one basket. Here’s what you should expect from a job in each of the three types of firm.
