A very good morning to all of you! Just 5 days to go for one of the largest product conclaves in India to start. Yes, it is none other than the NASSCOM Product Conclave 2009 where we are the ‘Blog partners’ for the event. For the benefit of the community, we would be constantly giving you the interesting snippets from the event LIVE from Bangalore. To spice up things as a prelude to the main event, we have something very interesting for you.
We are sure many of you in Bangalore and nearby areas are eagerly waiting to attend the event. We spoke to the NASSCOM people and persuaded them to give us some passes. They have agreed to give one free pass everyday till Saturday. To make it engaging and exciting, share your thoughts on the ‘Question of the day’ mentioned below. NASSCOM will decide the best from the lot and give out 1 free pass and they have a few T-Shirts to distribute as well (will be shipped to your address). So what are you waiting for? Join us at NASSCOM Product Conclave 2009.
The Question for the day would be:
Today’s Question
If you are starting your career, would you prefer working for a startup or an established company?
Previous Questions
Did you face any bad experiences with the Startup companies? What services do you expect from a Startup?
Why do you think we are not able to start services/applications like Twitter in India? Is it because of the lack of funds or the fear of taking risks?
Do write your thoughts as comments here or you can even give us the answers via Twitter (Use the hashtag #adda #nasscompc) and you stand to join us at the NASSCOM Product Conclave 09. NASSCOM expects the winners to cover the event via blog or Twitter and share views with the community. Looking forward for your views.
Update: The three winners have been announced. We would still love to have your views on the above questions.
Indians have more of a follower’s approach than a leader’s approach. This is due to the history of ruling by Mughals, Britishers,etc. It is difficult for Indians to come out of the safe cocoon of following ideas rather than aligning one’s mind towards coming up with these new ideas.
But I am sure, the times are changing. Some Indians, though in a minority, have started coming out of their cocoons.
I believe it has more to do with our risk taking appetite. When Biz Stone heard the twitter concept from one of his software architect, Jack Dorsey, he closed down his venture Odeo to work full time on “Twitter” idea with Jack and Evan Williams. Ever seen that happening in India? With bureaucracy all around here, it is way too tough for employees to even get their innovations heard and shown.
Lack of funds plays a role in hampering an idea when it comes to its survival but starting most of the time has nothing to do with it.
Thanks to twitter, Facebook etc there are no indian or Chinese and we have stopped thinking as Indians, Asians or Americans. There is not much need to find out who invented what etc.
True globalization happens like this. May be it is some one from west who did it today and next day you ( will) have one from east with a new gadget or application. We have stopped looking at where it came from etc because we are busy using these inventions. SORRY –
I totally agree with you that it is difficult to even imagine having created a product like Twitter or Facebook in India. I find that there are many reasons to it. Firstly, our mindset, which is ruined and suppressed by invaders in last 1000 years. It has certainly killed our risk taking ability, our zeal to concur the world, our belief in our own self as a country and largely spoiled our image in the international market. That is why we think anything imported is the best, be it product or services and acceptance by people is an easy task. Even if we create something in India, we know that there will be few takers here; hence question of acceptance in other countries doesn’t arise.
Its time that we IT, media, finance, entertainment, health etc. industries become proactive and create the world class services and products to suit and cater to Indian as well as international market changing the image of India in the field of business. It will surely help people to come out with their best ideas as I think we are the most creative, sharp, intelligent breed of the world.
If I’d be starting my career today, I’d love to work with a startup. The experience, knowledge and the amount of exposure I’d gain would be immense and would personally help me become an entrepreneur sooner or later. Working with an establish company would also have give me some exposure, but I’d like to be 1 among the 10 and get noticed rather than being 1 among 100’s and breathe along with them. Recession and job guarantee is something which has been kicking us up to take up ‘safe’ jobs and look for ‘security’ but I consider it as an opportunity to realize what you are capable of. I will probably get to handle important responsibilities, I’ll tend to get to do all aspects of the industry you are in rather than sticking to one or two areas.
If I’m are really passionate about I’m work, salary should not be a constraint. On the flip side, there is always that chance of the company not doing well. But then the experience that I’d gain in a startup is much more enriching than working in any big company. Students (working in a startup rather than a big company) can also use their creativity to come up with solutions and suggestions that might actually be heard. Agreed, that the salary is not attractive, but just out of grad school is the perfect time the ‘youth’ can work for a startup as they don’t have to support a spouse/kids. I feel startups are a much better option for the budding entrepreneurs among the youth and give a more fulfilling and exciting experience of the world of money-making.
I’ve worked with a couple of start ups until now and hopefully will’ve a startup for myself early next year! 🙂
Would like to share my own personal experience…
I have worked in both an established company & a startup before starting up on my own…
Even though an established company can provide you with a sense of security and give you a brand to be associated with, nothing comes close to the sheer excitement & pumped up atmosphere of a startup. I believe that people in a startup are more on the edge and are striving to get ahead in the rat race and the atmosphere it creates around the working space is both exhilarating & motivating. The slightly informal & freedom oriented culture also does wonders to your morale.
To start off one’s career, i believe that a startup would be more beneficial as it offers you a strong base to take off your career. The learning curve in a startup is way more than an established company and a fresher can learn a lot more in a shorter period of time in a startup. It helps a fresher build a positive & an innovative frame of mind which will hold him in good stead in his future career.
As the hierarchy in a Startup is generally flat and the interaction levels between the management and the staff are high, I would always prefer a Startup to an Established firm to launch my career. Moreover, with most entrepreneurs coming with a good level of exposure to pit-falls and success stories in businesses, it helps being able to learn from these self-starters who believe in every person involved taking a few informed decisions when situation demands. The willingness to accept mistakes and help me learn the right way of doing things, is the advantage I would consider to flag off my work-life.
I feel that both the setups have their own ups and downs. When I started working, I joined a medium size company as I wanted to learn both the sides of business. It taught me team management, communication skills and management skills in one shot. I also have worked with reputed brands, a startup by a corporate company and now running my own small company.
But we should evaluate both the situations for others; one should join a reputed brand only to learn processes, build contacts, ensure that you create a reputation for yourself and don’t allow certain viruses like corporate politics, passing the buck attitude and pulling others down to reach the top etc. to affect your performances.
This experience can be used when you join a start up or start something on your own. The biggest advantage of working for a start-up is that you stay in touch with higher management directly, get an opportunity to experiment with your ideas, quick progress is possible and also works for you when you start something on your own.