It seems like there are two schools of thought regarding careers that most people my age follow these days.

The first school of thought is to graduate school and work at a big company or institution. I know so many people who want to work at companies such as Google when they graduate. I even know a few people already interning at companies such as JPMorgan despite only just starting their second year of university.

The second school of thought is to graduate school and start your own thing. You know, build an app, take it public, and become a billionaire.

But there’s a third path that no one seems to want to take, even though it’s the path with the most incredible upside and very low risk.

As a new graduate, one of the best things you can do for your career is work for a medium-sized company.

Stable With A Ton Of Growth Potential

No one officially created a category for “mid-sized companies,” but various sources would describe a mid-sized company as a company with between 50–250 employees and earning $10M-$1B in revenue per year.

A mid-sized company has gotten past the start-up stage but hasn’t yet reached the stage of being a large corporation.

For you, this means that you can generally expect your paycheck to come consistently and put yourself in a position for growth.

Mid-Size Companies Versus Starting Your Own Company

Building a successful business is much more difficult than what people make it out to be. Most start-ups fail and the reason is simple.

The most essential skill in business is the ability to sell. Most new entrepreneurs fail to recognize this before they run out of money.

Additionally, a lack of experience is going to cost you. If you have minimal work experience, you’ll likely spend a ton of money before figuring out how to make things work.

Most recent graduates don’t have an abundance of work experience or cash, so although I want to encourage everyone, realistically, very, very few people will be able to build a business successfully.

I know from personal experience that building a business, whether it succeeds or not, is enlightening. But if I had the opportunity to work for a mid-size company back then, I would have chosen that option in a heartbeat.

If you ultimately want to start your own successful business, working for a mid-sized company is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

A mid-sized company is small enough that working for one will allow you to interact a lot with the company’s principals.

At Concierge Auctions, the mid-sized company that I work for, our meetings are directly led by our co-founders and executives. If I wanted to talk to any of the company’s leaders, they are easily accessible and willing to help as well.

Founders of mid-sized companies are people who have successfully taken their company past the start-up stage. They have immense amounts of wisdom from their personal experiences and to be able to pick their brain is something people would pay thousands of dollars to do.

Additionally, the experience you gain working at a mid-size company is invaluable. Seeing how things work in the company will give you a good idea of running your company.

Lastly, you’re also making money! Who says you can’t build a business while working?

Side hustling while working at a mid-sized company might be the best thing you can do for yourself. Throw all the money and experience you get from working at a mid-sized company, and you’ll quickly find yourself getting rich.

The Growth Potential Of Mid-Sized Companies

Most mid-sized companies are ones looking to scale. They survived the start-up stage and are now looking to become major corporations.

This is a massive opportunity for you to become super successful. Most management systems in mid-sized companies haven’t truly solidified yet.

You tend to have a stronger voice when working for a mid-sized company and more opportunities to solve problems. And when you solve those problems, you’re rewarded much more significantly.

Imagine being at Apple when it was a mid-sized company and sticking with it until it became the giant it is now. And even if Apple didn’t become the giant it is now, you still got paid and gained valuable work experience.

Mid-sized companies tend to be easier to get into. You have to remember that these mid-sized companies are often competing against large corporations for a talented workforce.

Because everyone wants to work for Google, Apple, and whatever, these mid-sized companies tend to get overlooked. Whenever they get applicants, they will be more willing to accept people who don’t necessarily have years of work experience on their resumes.

And once you get in, climbing the corporate ladder in a mid-sized company is also easier than a large corporation.

If your goal is to work for a large corporation, working for a mid-sized company will do wonders for your career.

Either you will help the mid-sized company become a large corporation so that you’re ultimately working for a large corporation anyway, or you’ll gain work experience that will allow you to jump into a large corporation.

And if you’re really ambitious, become an executive for the mid-sized company you work for, make the company big, and then the large corporations will want you as their executive.

Life Is Flexible And Surprising

I’m going to be honest. Best is totally subjective.

I think working for a mid-sized company is fantastic for career development because I’m currently working for a mid-sized company, and it’s been nothing but new learnings.

I never thought about applying to work at Concierge Auctions before. This year has been one big surprise, and I would never have thought to be in this position two years ago.

A lot of things didn’t work for me. Pretty much all my businesses failed, and I wasn’t enjoying life, but I just kept pushing forward and kept trying.

Eventually, life blessed me with my real estate mentor, who recommended me to Concierge Auctions, and my life has suddenly taken a shift for the better.

You can never plan your life out to each individual grain of rice. But have a goal, work towards it, and make the best of what life gives you. Whether you end up working for a mid-sized company or not, always look at the positives of your situation.

Originally published on Medium.