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In a small company if you see the need for some small item that will almost immediately improve company performance you can go to the guy with the money strings and get it right away. In a large company you have to convince 3 layers of management to put it into the budget for next year and you end up wasting all the time that the item would have saved. Sigh ...
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So far I haven't read any replies that are not (IMO) correct. There are definitely pluses and minuses to small and large companies.
One thing I haven't seen yet is work hours. As an FTE for a large corporation my personal time was abused. I had to work at least one weekend a month, often two or three -- this became the norm. Of course, this can happen in a small corp as well, but I haven't personally experienced it.
I find I'm happiest as a contractor in a small-to-mid-sized company. This has its pluses and minuses as well (doesn't everything?) but it works for me.
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I found the work hours to be exactly as you let them be no matter where you work.
I have worked a large corps, small corp, government job and on my own though only briefly that last.
If you let them at the first work you too much you end up working more and more until you have to draw a line and say NO.
Seen it first hand myself and in others. Always the same. The management whatever it is will push you to work until you say nope. Especially when you work for yourself. you can be your own worst boss.
As for large verses small. Someone mentions if you can find a niche in a large company where a small department is working as a small company that is about the best of all worlds. My current setup. and the boss is pretty awesome.
have fun.
To err is human to really mess up you need a computer
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"I found the work hours to be exactly as you let them be no matter where you work."
True. But good managers are smart enough to not burn their employees out. Unfortunately there are far too many bad managers out there ...
One problem is job culture -- if the manager lives to work, or doesn't but expects everyone else to, it's difficult to say 'no' and keep your job, or get reasonable raises, etc.
The one answer that works in every bad situation? Find a different job under a better manager.
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From my perspective, expect to move slower.
Listen a bit more. We finished a job with an Auto Company, and one of our
biggest delays were dealing with the Networking people. We actually changed our
design to avoid the issue, it was cheaper/better for the users.
Also, our default system which allows the user/system to be updated (by hitting a remote
repository) was completely disabled by their firewalls. We had to move the repository to
inside their firewall...
The great thing was that they had NEVER experienced a project finished a month ahead of schedule,
and we now get a new project almost every year from this group. Other groups are taking notice.
But it will, at some point overwhelm our resources, forcing growing pains upon us.
HTH
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Generally, the number of dullards you are forced to interact with is much larger at a large company. Lazy and/or incompetent people can hide away at a large company and linger on, where a small company can't afford to carry the deadweight.
That drove me out of the large company thing many years ago. I just can't be the PC person who accepts incompetence.
Large companies, as said above, generally have better pay, are more stable, are able to offer some more benefits. They're not as flexible though: at a small company, you have more ability to have an affect (positive or negative), both on the software, but possibly on the culture.
That also means more stress at a small company; being a bigger part of the machine means you have more responsibility. Often, if you don't do it, it's not getting done. But, that makes the work more exciting and interesting, too.
I don't know how you might, in the interview process, try to ferret out whether this is a "big company trying to maintain a small company's culture", or if they're just a monolith.
Maybe glassdoor.com can give some insight?
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In working for a large firm, I found that the stress of being held accountable for things that I have no way to affect was worse. YMMV
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In a big company you have to
1. Learn how to interact with different teams
2. Learn the policies
3. Learn your boundaries with your boss and many coworkers
4. Do you job well
5. Be careful not to step outside of your job responsibilities without permission.
6. Unless you are specifically hired to do exactly what you want to do, you struggle to find time to do what you want to do.
7. An extra side project that benefits the company is often a reason demote you as it shows you aren't focused on your current job. Unless you have permission. See #5.
8. You usually work 40 hours a week.
9. There is very little company recognition.
In a small company you have to:
1. Learn how to interact with different people
2. Learn the politics
3. Learn your boundaries with your boss and your few coworkers
4. Do you job well
5. Be willing to step outside of your job responsibilities when needed as you be asked to do so often.
6. Unless you are specifically hired to do exactly what you want to do, you struggle to find time to do what you want to do.
7. An extra side project that benefits the company is often highly praised and heralded for years.
8. You usually work 45+ hours a week.
9. There is quite a lot of company-wide recognition for jobs well done.
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I like how some of the recommended books are the actual thing, and not a children's spin off. 
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Quote: Freinds
Will it help their spelling too? 
I am not a number. I am a ... no, wait!
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I could say it was a deliberate mix of "friends" and "fiends"...
But that would be a lie. I'm just cr@p at spelling! 
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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once you hit your free quota limit. You can get a 30 day free trial, but then it goes to $$$.
Looks like it is for the good stories.
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Now, I'm not suggesting anything at all, but some browsers can selectively clear cookies...chrome certainly can...
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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I use the free version of CCleaner to selectively clear cookies. It is supposed to work on all browsers and I can vouch for the fact that it works on Edge. And it can do a lot more than clean cookies. Just a thought. I have used it for years.
How do we preserve the wisdom men will need,
when their violent passions are spent?
- The Lost Horizon
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Clean your cache and/or cookies and try again?
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For a not-as-slick alternative, open a private browsing window and use that. When it gets blocked just close it and open another.
It goes without saying
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Also, if you click subscribe and then leave the site, go back, there will be adverts for 30% off subsciption. Click those, leave the site, go back and there will be adverts for 50% off. Well this worked for me anyhow, I don't know if they still do.
I know it's not free but you can end up with digital access for £5 a month which I think is worth it, especially if you use the subscriber rewards.
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Chrome does that as standard!
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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I've had a subscription for quite a while now. The free quota limit has been in place for a long time and I do remember certain individuals having a go at DD when he "fessed up" that he cleared his cache to bypass this.
This space for rent
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I am not a frequent reader. So, paying $$ for something I don't use all the time, is inadvisable.
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