Codegeek's answer is very good. I think the career goals is probably the first thing you want to look at. There's also some advise I've heard about working in I

Codegeek's answer is very good. I think the career goals is probably the first thing you want to look at. There's also some advise I've heard about working in IT where IT is a resource and not a cost center. It's very true. I can say definitely that the large company will have more bureaucracy, which will on more than one occasion drive you crazy. Like you said though, they have the scale and complexity for interesting problems. They also have the budget to fund IT. Regarding the part about being the most experienced. I don't think that matters, so long as you're still learning. If you're willing to learn from less experienced/less senior people, and they're willing to speak up about what they know, then it doesn't really matter.