Whether you’re contemplating how to get your fist job, or if you’re already working and you’re thinking about your next career move, you may be considering a job at a start-up company. Start-ups come in all shapes, sizes, and industries. But life in a start-up isn’t for everyone, and before you take the plunge, there are some important considerations that need to be made.

Start-up companies range from two-person teams raising seed money to well-financed firms with several hundred employees. Typically the range is somewhere in the middle, but one thing is always true: they are always looking for money. Depending on your background and career interests, you may be interested in working either for a biotechnology start-up or a high-technology start-up.

Biotech companies typically remain in the start-up mode far longer and take longer periods of time to get to market than do high-tech companies. These companies generally do not move forward and get a product into clinical trials without substantial financing. This does not mean that there is guaranteed capital to get the product into commercialization, but at least there is money in the bank to hire key employees and move forward.

On the other hand, a high-tech company often starts in a garage atmosphere funded by founders, family, and friends. After the business plan has been written, there is a simultaneous process of moving the technology forward and raising money. Key employees are brought on board for minimal cash but lots of equity and the sharing of the dream. Depending on the product, sales could begin the same year because clinical trials are not part of their process. In all probability, the company will start with venture capital backing and be on a fast-track to meet the first goal.

Biotech and high-tech start-ups are also different in the employees who are hired after the funding is in place. Most biotechs do not need a marketing or sales component because that may be handled by a corporate partner, whereas this position is pivotal for a high-tech company. Start-up biotech companies usually use contract services such as clinical research organizations, contract manufacturers, and other consultants, and this is compatible with outsourced high tech. Both types of companies may have several people providing services, but the services are on an “as needed basis.”

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about start-ups