As a fresh graduate with product management as a career path, will you prefer to work in an early stage/middle stage/unicorn startup?

EARLY-STAGE STARTUPS
PROS:

  1. As a recent graduate, you have two options: learn or make money. You could start at an early-stage startup, which gives you the opportunity to wear many hats, participate in decision making, and truly carve your path.
  2. There is much room for creativity here, and you can truly express yourself. It will feel like you are learning everything while also being much fun.

CONS:

  1. Because you’re making things up as you go along, you’re often unaware that you’re reinventing the wheel.
  2. Second, you don’t have much mentorship. It’s also beneficial to see how things are done early in your career. The guild and apprentice models are effective for a reason. You must hone your craft.
  3. The third disadvantage is plain old financial risk. Startups in their early stages are frequently underfunded.

MIDDLE STAGE START-UPS
Middle-stage startups are frequently chaotic as they try to find their market niche. Most of the efforts are shifting toward fundraising, and product managers may become overburdened with all of the presentations.

UNICORNS
On the other hand, unicorns are a whole different thing, and while it’s a stereotype that most are the result of genuinely guru-type founders, it’s not entirely inaccurate. It’s similar to joining a cult. That’s not a bad thing. This is where you will learn the most. However, you will learn about culture rather than the product because the product has already been baked and served.