The Big fish and the Small fish

During the initial days of my MBA course while in London, one of my Professors ( I believe it was Prof Geoff Lancaster) asked us this very important question that would shape our careers for the future. His question was not so relevant at that time, but once we graduated and came out to the real world; the question kept dawning us. There is no right or wrong answer to this question but whatever answer you chose would determine the path of your career. I believe every bloke passing out should be ready and be prepared to face the question himself. The million dollar question was,

"Do you want to be a Big fish in a Small pond or a Small fish in a Big pond".

The question here is more applicable to those who are in the early phases and mid phases of their career and once thay are at their prime this becomes totally irrelevant. The Big and Small in the context of the question refers to what position you would like to start or be in the pond called as organization. There is a world of oppurtunities out there and it all comes down to you to chose the one which is more suited to the needs. You may choose to start your career as a trainee in a big company or in the middle of your career you may choose to join as a Manager in a large organizatiion which answers the question being a small fish in a big pond. From my experience and some experiences of others I learned that, starting careers as a small fish in a big pond gives you more freedom and room to grow. You have a lot of area to swim around, gaining experience swimming with other big fishes, spacious environment, vast resources and the risk of the pond getting dry in summer is less. Your encounter with lot of and different types of fishes mean that your survival depends on your ability to compete. Only the fittest, the meanest and the toughest survive such situations and out of the many only a handful come to the forefront. If you are not among them then you end up being at the back of the queue for the rest of your careers.

On the other hand starting your career at the top of the ladder or in the middle of the career you make a move to join a small company in a senior position would deem you to be a big fish in a small pond. The immediate advantages would be social status, credibility, power and fat pockets. Being a big fish here, your size limits you the freedom to move around and at times you have reached your potential growth. In this position you will not have much to learn from others and have to gain things on your own. People look up to you for advises and before taking such responsibilities, one should have enough ammunition in armoury. This is a high risk position and if you are unsuccessful in such roles, that itself may spell the end of your careers. The experience you get here can propel you to big ponds you will be always measured against your success rate.

Each of the situation has its own advantages and disadvantages and as said before there is no right or wrong answer to this question. Your right answer should suit your vision and the path that takes you to to your vision coupled with hard work, determination and immense focus. As per Abraham Maslow's heirarchy of needs the last stage for the individual need is self actualization and the ultimate goal here is to be a Big fish in a Big pond. The path that takes you there is your right answer.