Generally speaking, based on my experience, work in software development for a large company if you value...
Reputation
There is a certain prestige that comes with working for a company whose name is recognized and respected. This could open doors to future employment, or to speaking engagements, etc.
Stability
Large companies tend to be more financially stable than small companies. If you look at statistics on business failure rates, if you work for a small company, you have about 50/50 chance of losing your job to business failure within 5 years of start-up.
Specialization
Large companies tend to silo their employees, which means you will likely work within a very narrow domain and set of responsibilities. This is a good thing if what you are after is depth of knowledge. This will allow you to focus and gain experience to a degree that you might not be able to get at a small company.
Combine depth with mobility (see next), and you have a potential recipe for deep knowledge in many domains, without having to switch companies.
Mobility
At a large company, you often have the ability to move around to different jobs, or to get assigned to projects of personal interest, without having to leave the company. At a small company, on the other hand, if you want to do something different, you might have to leave to find another job.
Large companies tend to be more financially stable than small companies. If you look at statistics on business failure rates, if you work for a small company, you have about 50/50 chance of losing your job to business failure within 5 years of start-up.
Specialization
Large companies tend to silo their employees, which means you will likely work within a very narrow domain and set of responsibilities. This is a good thing if what you are after is depth of knowledge. This will allow you to focus and gain experience to a degree that you might not be able to get at a small company.
Combine depth with mobility (see next), and you have a potential recipe for deep knowledge in many domains, without having to switch companies.
Mobility
At a large company, you often have the ability to move around to different jobs, or to get assigned to projects of personal interest, without having to leave the company. At a small company, on the other hand, if you want to do something different, you might have to leave to find another job.
Formal Advancement
Hand-in-hand with mobility is the idea of career title advancement. Large companies have formal hierarchies, and you can climb the corporate ladder.
Pay & Benefits
Large companies almost always offer better pay and benefits than small companies. Oftentimes the attraction of a small company is rooted in non-financial benefits, and small companies are more likely to pay less and/or offer less in the form of financial benefits. For example, a small company may not provide health insurance, or may require that you pay a large percentage of the premium. A small company may not have disability insurance or life insurance, or a 401k, or an FSA.
Training
Large companies tend to offer formal training opportunities. You may be able to go to conferences, or attend classroom training or online training. Large companies may have tuition assistance programs, to pay for college degrees.
And large companies are more likely to employ experts in your field, who can teach or mentor you.
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