Startups are Sexy.

Image: UTexas

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a strong proponent of the established businesses who have put themselves on the map as one of the leading leaders in their niche industry. Actually, I didn’t even care to look into start-up culture until the end of my freshman year of college. I didn’t like the idea of working with an idea that didn’t always have tangible return on investment and being the type of person who could be classified as too careful at times, I was skeptical about the risk involved in any start-up venture. However, my ideas have changed within the past year.

I blame the fact that I have been living in Austin and its start-up friendly environment. Austin not only supports the start-up community, but also promotes it. Start-up companies are often times associated with a very Facebook or Google environment where company culture is displayed on a pedestal. When I entered college, I had the mindset that money was everything – it’s not. Company culture is and I have learned it is the most important factor when it comes to choosing a job of any kind. A company can offer me a six-figure starting salary upon graduation and I wouldn’t accept it if I knew the company didn’t care about internal relations. It is my belief that if I as an employee enjoy my job, I will do it better, and I am more likely to go above and beyond what is expected of me – regardless of whether there is even a monetary reward at the end.

Will I work for a startup in the near future? Maybe. Have I worked for a small business? Hell yeah I have! And I have loved every minute of it. For one, small offices provide the opportunity for a mere intern like myself, to have more responsibility and the opportunity to turn around and ask my boss who is sitting in the room next to me questions about not only my current assignment, but pick his/her brain about the industry.

Additionally, start-ups are actually helping the overall economic community. When it comes down to it, start-ups create jobs. They can be stressful, there’s a lot of risk, but once it works, it’s going to stay around for a while. So, genius minds with amazing ideas who want to create something exciting because school work is just not cutting it  – GO DO IT. And heck, let me help you do it. I love student start-up projects.