If you have worked for many years in the corporate world , would you find working in medium sized business a challenge? and vice versa?
Do we need a different set of traits and attitudes to last in large coporate world and a different set of traits and attitudes to last in medium sized or smaller businesses? if yes , then what do you feel are the major differences?
Re: Corporate v/s Medium sized firm
varies from industry to industry.....
Re: Corporate v/s Medium sized firm
CB, you missed academics. I worked in corporate and healthcare for YEARS, it was stressful. I learned a LOT and met some great people. Over the last five years, however, I have sworn to myself never to go back to a corporate environment. Academics and higher education is where I want to be. There is no stress, things are relaxed, you're usually on the cutting edge, there is a greater appreciation for free thinking and dissent, you're surrounded by hot young chicks, and you get to go boating in the middle of the day in the summer. What's not to love?
Re: Corporate v/s Medium sized firm
ohhh yes aahmed , the fun stuff you mentioned sans the chicks bit is totally worth it all lol
Personally I believe they are two totally different worlds ... when i got out of the corporate world to join a medium sized business , I suddenly felt free and unsupervised! I realized I am not just a small part of the big puzzle ... I can drive strategy and change .... so years later now when i returned to the corporate world , i realized rather got shocked that I couldnt find myself fitting into the loop.. I was jumping ahead of my colleagues in thought processes and the speed of work !!!! So I have had to readjust myself in terms of letting go and taking things easy and realizing that none of us is to carry the weight of the world alone .. each one has to do their bit in order for the car to move !
Re: Corporate v/s Medium sized firm
wishful thinking aahmed… having been in academia full-time for the last seven years, I wish I could go back to the 9 to 5 routine of the corporate sector. Having worked for the government, corporate sector, as well as academia, I consider the latter as one of the most demanding workplace settings.
Re: your points highlighted above:
Re: No Stress: Try grading exams or doing course preparation for next term in the christmas break ; or dealing with unique/new issues from hundreds of students on a daily basis
Re: Relaxed: Not really… “flexible” may be… but “relaxed” certainly not. We have flexible schedules… work from office or home… as long as we put in 85+ hours a week
Re: On the cutting edge: May be leading edge… but certainly not the bleeding edge. Academia is always about three years behind the industry since we have smaller budgets and stricter research policies.
Re: Appreciation for free thinking and dissent: This one made me laugh the hardest 
- no comment… you gotta experience this on your own, but if you’re looking for an adhocracy based organizational configuration, then academia isn’t it.
Re: Boating on a summer day: may be if you have the summer term off… otherwise, you can always take time off from any job for a summer break.
Re: Corporate v/s Medium sized firm
medium size firm any day......