Navigating Career Security for Corporate Gen Xers: The Startup vs Big Corporate Debate

Hey, corporate Gen Xers, what do you think offers more, call it career security right now, a startup or your role in big corporate? Uh, if you would have asked me probably a few years ago, I still probably would have leaned towards big corporate just because of one, the number of positions that are in there, even though they’re getting harder to find, and the amount of time it takes to, to turn folks over. But in light of the recent layoffs and everything, these startups may be a better alternative. And I had a guest on the podcast yesterday. She’s an executive recruiter with her own agency who works both with startups and with enterprise, and both with fractionals and full time. And she told me that for the last two years, a startup that has two years of runway, meaning they’ve got funding for two years, is more secure employment than it is in big corporate enterprise. Which, hindsight, makes a lot of sense, just because of the lack of security. And with the changes like big corporate, whether they’re performing well or, you know, behind plan, they’re making changes, creating layoffs. And as Gen Xers, we’re the most expensive and also most at risk. So I thought that was a really interesting point. So if you are looking to stay in corporate, um, maybe consider the startup path, right? Especially if they’ve got funding for a couple years. They are definitely hungry for experience and wisdom. Um, you may or may not get paid. If they got funding, they may have enough to pay you to help them build out whatever they need to build out. Again, I still like the fractional and, uh, non full time positions, but I just wanted to give you that there is another alternative. So if you’re in your role, being a little nervous about layoffs or looking for your next role, you know, look at startups, especially ones that are funded. It may give you the security that you need for, uh, again, the next couple of years at least. And if you’re curious again, outside of that, what. What your options are, you know, come join our free community. It is corporate Gen Xers. Like I said, we’re closing in on 900 members now. And it’s really about education, support, networking. To show you what’s possible out there. Right. It may not be the right path. Going solo may not be the right path for you, but maybe there are some other alternatives that you have not considered. So anyway, if you’re still in corporate, good luck.