Why Are People Attracted to Corporate Jobs? A Personal Exploration

As someone who has recently transitioned from a small business environment to a corporate giant, I find myself pondering a perplexing question: Why do so many individuals gravitate toward large organizations and corporate careers? My personal journey brings with it a rather disheartening perspective, leading me to believe this might not be the ideal path for everyone.

For nearly eight years, I dedicated my career to a smaller company, one that fostered a flat organizational structure. Our team dynamics were straightforward: the hierarchy was minimal, with only three layers separating the CEO from junior team members. In this setup, managers were genuinely invested in their direct reports, and collaboration was encouraged. We thrived on performance, teamwork, and mutual support—principles that I believed were fundamental to workplace success.

However, my recent experience at a Fortune 500 company shattered this belief. It quickly became evident that the corporate landscape was markedly different. I was met with a culture that seemed to thrive on competition rather than collaboration. I witnessed a toxic environment where managers engaged in a constant game of telephone, gossip flowed freely, and the withholding of information became a common tactic. It felt as though many colleagues were more focused on undermining one another than on driving the company forward.

After a brief but eye-opening tenure, the misalignment with my values became so apparent that I decided to resign and explore entrepreneurship instead. For nearly a decade, I had operated under the belief that workplaces should be about performance, growth, and collective success. Yet, my foray into the corporate realm seemed riddled with negativity and self-serving agendas, leaving me questioning the very foundation of corporate culture.

Curiously, my experience seems to resonate with many others who’ve shared similar sentiments online. This leads me to wonder: What draws individuals to work in environments that can often feel so counterintuitive to productivity and collaboration? Is it solely a matter of job security and benefits, or is there something deeper at play?

I have to ask: Do people genuinely wake up every day thinking that this competitive, often cutthroat atmosphere is what they want for the next 20 to 30 years of their lives? It feels surreal to me, almost like entering an alternate reality. I can’t help but question whether this approach actually contributes to a company’s success or if it’s just a misguided way of operating driven by outdated paradigms.

I find myself seeking closure on this topic, yearning to understand what I might be