This I am sure is a topic that could easily be debated and THAT makes it more exciting for me to share my views. It took me a while and it surely will take most people the same amount of time to understand that these two things (Corporate life and Non-Corporate life) are at the extreme ends of a spectrum. From culture to relationships to employee experiences… everything differs between the two. And ofcourse like most comparisons, even this does not imply that one is better than the other. Its what one chooses to adopt for his/her career path and experience it that makes the difference. Having had experience on both ends of this spectrum, I am delighted to share my thoughts here.
I spent most of my years in the Corporate life and everything including perks and challenges that come with it. Did I enjoy that life better than a non-corporate life? I think its a question that most people will ask at some point in their careers and make a choice for themselves. Corporate businesses run on technology, style, elite culture and job security. These businesses are usually large scale and most often than not, they cater to a customer. Here, ‘Customer’ plays a big role; be it a customer at a leadership level or a board level, or even a customer who is just receiving the services.
In any job, especially once you surpass the initial monetary value, rewards etc, you then require something more that is very important called ‘Job Satisfaction’. This could be defined in various ways depending on how one looks at it, but the real satisfaction comes when you have spent 8 hours working to know that at the end of the day, there is a direct outcome as a result of your efforts and that lets you peacefully sleep at night. This is very hard to be found in a Corporate environment despite all its benefits. This then leads to the question that begs the difference in a Non-corporate structure and its work culture !
The entirety of the Job satisfaction concept is what makes a big difference between these two. There is no small or large business in accordance to whether its a corporate product or a non-corporate product. Both has its small, medium and large depending on the size of the business. So really, the key differentiator is what comes at the tail end of all the effort one puts in as part of his/her daily responsibility. Is it just Money OR something bigger? Is it just personal benefits OR something more satisfying? As your career journey progresses, you’ll start to realise that you are no longer working for just money and similar benefits. The motivation to go to work in the morning also comes from knowing what you take back home at the end of the day. If you have nothing to take back home, then the motivation level keeps dipping. Money only comes to you at the end of the month and definitely gives you the inventive of motivation for having done your job; but does it really tell you how much you have done and does it give you the same satisfaction on a day where you have worked extremely hard vs a day where you sat idle – Something to think about !
The real job satisfaction is attained when you get instant results of what you’ve been contributing. For ease of understanding the essence of this satisfaction in its true sense, think about charity! The moment you contribute to a cause, you are instantly gratified and this is a true result of the effort one puts in. What you take back home at the end of the day is huge compared to any other incentive. The same applies to your daily job as well.
To sum it up… Ask yourself – Do you get instantly gratified? Are your efforts being recognised? Are you putting your 110% and getting the results that it deserves? Is it just money that keeps you going or is it something more? The answers to all these questions will help you understand the difference between the two businesses.
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