Most people miss this notion, even though on the surface it sounds obvious.
“Of course you have to choose a good place to work,” you might be thinking. “That is what success in a career means, being at a good company.”
Yes and no.
It’s not as obvious. Wealthfront’s blog post in the topic adds some important context, whether you are happy where you are or are job seeking.
Choosing the right tech companies to work for is the single most important factor in your career success. Choice of company trumps position, salary and even the size of your equity package. A small equity stake in a big success is exponentially more valuable than a big equity stake in a failure or a minor success. (2013 Silicon Valley Career Guide: A Wealthfront eBook)
Here is their 2020 guide: https://cdn.wealthfront.com/public.email.images/2020_Career-Launching_List_vF.pdf
While the most important thing you can do is to pick the right company, within a given company the department you are in can also have an impact on your success.
In general, a successful rocket ship will trump the specific dynamics of team or department.
I write about this in a separate post.
But for now, what do you think of the companies you are considering or are currently working at?
Do you see how where you choose to work can be the factor which determines the arc of the rest of your career?
Showing that you know how to pick those kid-sized companies that do become successful will go a long way.