You already have a bunch of valuable comments to wade through. One tip though - do not think of large companies as one monolithic organization. If you look arou

You already have a bunch of valuable comments to wade through. One tip though - do not think of large companies as one monolithic organization. If you look around, you will spot those smaller 'startup'y teams inside big orgs where you'll learn a ton and have a lot of fun in the process. Also, write down what you want to achieve in your first job. Financial stability? Engineering skills? Proficiency in a particular platform, framework? Ability to work in a team? Narrowing down what you really hope to get out of this job will really help you focus on finding the right workplace. And finally, never say never. Both of them (large companies and startups) have their ups and downs. You'll learn _something_ from both.