Pros/Cons of Corporate FP&A at Startup vs F500 (non FLDP)

What are some pros/cons? Which would you rather be in? Have a couple offers but really leaning towards these two. Also as a side note, would it make a difference or are there any pros and cons working in corporate FP&A for a very large public company vs a very large private company?

 
 

I would say it depends on the company/package offered. It depends on what you value in terms of work life balance (look to vacation time and actual use-ability) pay/comp-structure and ability to move vertically within the company. For example, when I was choosing between all of my offers, I chose my current one because of an annual promote cycle giving me the ability to apply to any job internally (do not post externally) and easily switch departments. This paired with a great vacation policy and a pretty laxed work schedule all pushed me to my current role in a F50 company. It also depends on exit opps (what does the company specialize in) The start-up will give you a well rounded experience and a lot of talking points but it won't carry the same branding/perceived industry expertise as if you go F500.

 
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The advice I got when I was in undergrad was to go to the biggest company I could get into. I think that is great advice- it's really hard to determine in college what industry you are interested in. I thought I would love Aerospace and Defense, and it took me only a few months to realize I didn't like it.. I jumped industries and am still not sure where I want to end up.

The best thing is to give yourself the most paths possible. A big company (or a household name company) will give you the branding you need to make a jump later on. It seems to me that in your analyst years, employers just want to see reputable experience.. industry knowledge becomes more important the higher you go. So it's important to land in an industry you like, but you can bounce around a bit beforehand.

In general, brand is king in your analyst years. Even though I didn't like A&D, I'm happy I got the F250 experience, and it will help me a ton on MBA apps in the coming year.

 

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