Big company, Small growth.

Don't make the same mistake I made when starting out. Look, I'm going to tell you something that I wish someone had told me earlier because it would have saved a lot of my time and frustration. Stop chasing the big company name straight out the gate. I know it feels like the right move. I know it looks impressive and the salary feels safe but trust me, it can actually slow you down more than you realise.

The thing about companies doing billions in revenue. They are not built for you to grow quickly. You will get handed a narrow little role and that will be your world for the next two or three years. Meanwhile someone else who took a chance on a smaller company is learning everything, sitting in on decisions, solving real problems and genuinely developing. You are doing the same task on repeat wondering why progression feels like it is moving slow.

And I am not telling you to go join some dodgy little startup either. I mean those companies in the middle. The ones doing decent money but who are hungry. The ones who want to reach the top and are actively looking for people who can help them get there. Those are the ones you want right now.

Because in those companies you actually matter. The boss knows who you are. When you do good work people see it and when the company wins you win with it. Your progression is tied to your performance not to how long you have been there or whether a position happened to open up above you.

And once you have built that track record, once you have got real results behind you and you know your worth, then you go to the big company. But you go in differently. You are not hoping someone notices you from the bottom. You are walking in as someone who has already proven themselves and that changes everything about how they treat you and what they offer you.

Build your leverage early. Go somewhere that genuinely needs you, show them what you can do, and leave with a reputation that speaks for itself. Then when you are ready to go after the big players, you will not be begging for a seat at the table. You will be the one they are pulling a chair out for.

Obviously having a big brand on your resume will always be a great addition. It helps open doors, people seek you out, the stability and benefits are there. But if you know you are capable of more, do not let the comfort of a big name become the reason you stop moving up.