Where To Find Work (Part 3/3)

It's not just the tech companies that need a programmer. A lot of things run on software now, and to suggest doing otherwise is to cede power to competitors. There are plenty of opportunities to be found sectors outside of the software industry... but they come at a cost.

Small-medium Enterprise

Company Size. Small or medium (duh)

Service Model. B2B or B2C.

Pros

Importance. You're less expendable because a lot of users are depending on you. And there's no competition because most self-respecting developers would rather beat themselves to death with their own keyboards than work here. If you're about playing it safe, this is probably as safe as it gets.

A clear path to
promotion.

Promotion. You have only one boss above you, and the only way to get promoted is to take his spot.

Domain knowledge. You are going to get intimately familiar with the ins and outs of the industry the company is in, because you'll be writing software for it... if you're lucky. This is a valuable learning opportunity.

Cons

Pay. The pay won't be bad, but it won't be great either.

Cost center. The company is going to begrudge you every cent they pay you because you don't contribute directly to profits, and non-tech companies typically don't recognize the actual value of tech - you're just a fancy way to keep up with the Joneses.

Doing shit work. If you're lucky, you'll get to write software, but you may end up fixing monitors, troubleshooting Microsoft Office and screwing in lightbulbs because some idiot says it's "tech-related".

Tech stagnation. You'll make all of the technical decisions and get to work with only tech you're comfortable with. And that is not a good thing, not if the term "constant improvement" holds any meaning for you.

Unable to hands off. Nobody's here to take over your job. This also means no long vacations for you.

Verdict

Unless it's a very brief stepping stone to much greater things, why even fucking bother?

Multinational Company

Company Size. Large. So large that in the company's industry, the name is internationally recognized. Like banks, or universities.

Service Model. B2B or B2C.

Pros

Better scope of work. In an organization this large, you get to work in an actual team and do bigger projects.

Pay. The pay is usually decent to great.

Professional visibility. An internationally recognized brand is great news, even if it's not in the tech industry.

Domain knowledge. Having domain knowledge outside of the tech industry is always a bonus, and nothing to sniff at. It also increases your employability if you want to continue finding work in the same sector. For instance, if Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) was looking for developers, obviously developers who had done a stint in, say, United Overseas Bank (UOB) would be looked upon more favorably.

Cons

Tech stagnation. The technical stack will already have been worked out and those above you are unwilling to change the status quo. Years into it, you'll probably still be using the same increasingly outdated tools.

Politics. In any organization of this size, there's always going to be a lot of this.

Cutting through all that red tape.

Red tape. Ditto for the above.

Verdict

Worth a try. Even if it doesn't work out, there's brand name value. Just don't stick around too long.

Wherever you go...

...do the best you can. That's the least you can do as a professional. Learn whatever you can. That's the only takeaway you'll ever have other than money.

And lastly (and most importantly), know when to leave.

Many gainful employments!
T___T