A Malaysian shares why fresh grads should join stable companies over start-ups, citing low pay, lack of guidance, and limited skill growth at start-ups.

AS a fresh graduate, it is common practice to gain as much job experience as possible to advance one’s career, even if the job scope may not focus on the fields they studied for in the first place.

However, one Malaysian man offered a different perspective, sharing blunt advice to fresh graduates: apply to big, stable companies rather than start-ups, as he believes start-up environments are not “ideal” for those just entering the workforce.

“Sometimes I think: if I had applied to a stable company from the start, I would already be more skilled today. That’s why I don’t recommend fresh grads apply to start-ups,” he wrote in a Threads post.

Reflecting on his first job in 2022, he said that while the environment was more relaxed than larger companies, he still had to juggle multiple tasks while being underpaid.

On top of that, the start-up allegedly did not issue him an offer letter, leaving him to draft one himself with the employer’s permission. According to him, the offer letter format he created is still being used for new employees today.

“In a start-up, you may have to do a lot of work outside your core job scope. For me, I handled admin, project management, and more,” he said.

“Was it good? Of course. Whenever I felt stressed, I reminded myself, ‘It’s okay, I’m doing this for knowledge and experience,’ even if underpaid. But my actual job scope didn’t allow me to grow much in terms of skills,” he added.

He also emphasised that working in a start-up may not be financially rewarding, citing his low pay and stressing that fresh graduates should aim for salary packages aligned with their education.

“Here’s the reality: nowadays, you need to fight for a salary that matches your education level. A degree should get you at least RM2,500 as a fresh grad. Don’t settle too low, even if it takes time. I noticed peers earning over RM3,000 while I was still below RM3,000,” he said.

He elaborated on his skill development, explaining that over the two years at the start-up, he only grew about 10% of his core skills.

The man further noted that, compared to start-up work, the skills he acquired were not fully utilised at his current job, and he struggled initially.

“My previous experience only helped me adapt; I still had to learn from scratch. At the start-up, coworkers barely guided me; here, I have to explore and solve problems independently. Even asking questions is hard because everyone is busy. Don’t complain if your supervisor calls you out for missed deadlines. Deadlines here are strict; in my old company, things were relaxed. Even basic tasks require fast delivery,” he said.

He also pointed out that he had been efficient with time management at the start-up, sometimes leaving later than his allotted hours, whereas now the pace and expectations are very different.

In conclusion, he did not discourage fresh graduates from applying to start-ups but warned them that handling tasks outside one’s job scope does not necessarily equate to strong experience in their chosen field.

“Once you return to your real job scope, reality will hit hard,” he added.

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 The Sun Malaysia