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employees as they used to be? I suppose that is a separate debate.

So, if you need a steady job, steady pay, good insurance and benefits... If you are not so concerned with creative freedom and you don't mind multiple bosses and various levels of approval and accountability, then a big company is probably for you. In retrospect, it was definitely not for me.

Small Company

Instead of being in a huge office with around 1500 employees, you might find yourself in an office of 15 employees. Everyone knows what everyone else is doing. It is a much more personal atmosphere. There is definitely less of an issue with "office politics"; red tape and such. Usually, at a smaller company, you will have the manager of the office there, a senior developer or designer, a secretary, and a group of workers. The owner or owners, might make an occasional appearance if they are not directly involved in the day-to-day-activities. The chances are pretty good that there will be more emphasis on time management and less emphasis on bureaucracy, i.e. you will spend "more time working" and "less time in meetings".

Working at a small company has many disadvantages as well:

You don't get the name recognition for your portfolio at a small company that you would at a big company. A little "mom and pop" shop might not be so impressive to potential employers further down the line.

The pay is definitely not as good. Smaller companies are much more sensitive to their bottom lines. As a consequence, they cannot compete with the potential wages at a bigger company.

The insurance options probably don't cover as much as they would with the big company, if you are offered an insurance plan (if you are full time at the smaller company). If you have any "pre-existing health conditions", no matter how innocuous, be prepared to receive a bit more scrutiny and potential "exception riders" to your plan.

A small company means small staff. This means that there are potentially staff members at a small company that have to fill more than one role. Not only are you the web designer, but also now you are also the web developer, the copywriter, the QA tester, occasionally the salesman, and sometimes the person answering the phones as well. Typically multiple staff members at a larger company handle single roles. These jobs at a big company, all separately demand pretty high wages in and of themselves.

A lot of a small company's business is going to be local "handshake" business. People the owners know, or people who know people who recommended the small company's services. A big company will probably have a dedicated sales staff to get business.

A small company is also not going to always willingly put forth money for things like marketing materials, i.e. brochures, mailers, and fliers. For every cost, there needs to be ROI (Return On Investment). ROI is much more heavily scrutinized at the level of the smaller company. Another money issue to consider is that there may not be a program for you to further your education with a smaller company. That choice might be entirely dependent on you and your own time and funds.

So as an employee, you have to ask yourself, what is important to you: higher salary, job security, and potentially better insurance coverage... or more creativity, less bureaucracy and more personal peace of mind? Are you looking to put a big-name company on your resume for future employers? Are you looking to climb the corporate ladder? Or are you happy just doing the work that you are doing? I was much happier doing the work and having a more intimate role with all aspects of the business than I was going to endless meetings and having no creative freedom. Maybe you have the same point of view.

Learn more about this author, Scott Johnson.
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