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Why it's not easy to give developers freedom of choice

In anticipation of the start of the Team Lead 2.0 course , we prepared a translation of interesting material.



An indisputable fact that developers today are, to put it mildly, in great demand. The growing demand for more and more high-tech products does not match the amount of well-trained resources.

There are many studies and articles explaining why this happens, and that as the number of technology companies increases, N times more vacancies appear on the market, and the number of graduate computer students does not increase. But the essence of today's article is not the point!

If you are a developer, then you already understand what I'm getting at, because most likely you are constantly harassed by messages like "Go to the dark side!" from annoying recruiters trying to lure you to another job.

So, what are the criteria that you should change jobs?

The opportunity to get more money, more responsibility or just the need for a change of scenery? Well, what I'm going to tell you is beyond standard reasons! If money and status are all that concern you, then you should not continue to read, because I will not add new criteria for making a decision.

1. Creating a project from scratch


Yes, it’s easier to improve an existing product. Of course, this will save you some headaches, but listen to me: Imagine that you can create Twitter from scratch. Or github? Can you imagine such a strong sense of ownership as if you consider the project your own brainchild? And let's not pay attention to the endless crying in the first months of his life ... If you look at it in the future, it will be almost magic, you will feel that you can do anything if you attach your mind to it.



2. Ability to work with several technologies or areas of knowledge


Working in a large company as a developer entails a limited set of areas in which you can realize yourself and limit the specific position that you occupy. Usually, you are tasked with developing a specific function or component within a function, then you report to a manager who reports to another manager and so on until the end of the chain.

It may seem that in this way most of the responsibility is removed from you, but I'm sure that in the end you will get bored or even hate your work. On the other hand, working in a small company (especially in a startup) with fewer resources for hiring people, you will play an important role in the development of the company. This alignment will force you to learn many new things, technologies, take on large volumes of development and interact with other departments of the company, which will undoubtedly increase your knowledge base and make you a more valuable professional!

3. Remote work, flexible schedule and fun atmosphere


Large companies are trying to adapt to the new working environment, when you can work from home, come and go from work, when you want or just play table tennis during the lunch break and this is a fact. But changing a corporate culture (even if you do it better) is something that takes time. In young companies (especially technological ones), this culture has already taken root: remote work is a good option when you need to leave early to get an appointment with a doctor or just pick up children from school, go for lunch, have a beer, have dinner, surf or other interesting things ...

Moreover, you can just be yourself and not be afraid of a scary boss who might not like your yellow slippers or black sweatshirt. Work in a place where work is a hobby, not a duty, will make you want to wake up in the morning!



4. Long-term opportunities are created or improved.


As one person said: “With great power comes great responsibility!”, Uncle Ben (or Voltaire, if you're an old school)

Responsibility for creating a product or managing a whole department brings you invaluable experience that would be difficult to replicate outside the startup infrastructure. Therefore, if you look at the whole situation from the outside, you will see that working in a very narrow field and with the same technology stack every day for 10 years will bring you less experience than the opportunity to learn new technologies, conduct projects and create new ones products, even if you get paid more now. Let your startup now deal with at least tanks, as a result, your experience will be appreciated in the market 3 times higher.

5. Risks are everywhere, even in a large company, even in a small


Mistakes suggest that we are still human. And if you think that only startups fail, then you are mistaken. Remember MySpace? What about Blockbuster or Kodak? All these large companies were not able to introduce innovations into their work and ultimately went bankrupt.

According to statistics, startups often fail, this is true, because they create new products or services that may not find their place in the market. But sometimes a kaput comes to a big jar (remember Lehman Brothers?).

Instead of running away from risk, you should evaluate it and take it for granted when making a decision. If you really believe in the vision of the company, is it not risky to stay where you don’t like it, even if this company promises more financial stability? Risk is not only a matter of finance, it represents a number of factors that you should take into account, for example, emotional stability and happiness.

6. You can change the vision and culture of the company


And last but not least, the decision to join a small company entails creating a good product, faster training, or better long-term prospects. When you are in a company with less than 50 people, you will be more meaningful. You can set the course of the company and lead it to success or failure, you will leave your mark, which will remain for a long time, even if you leave this company. This is something that you will not get elsewhere, I assure you!



To summarize


That's why choosing a startup instead of a large corporation can change your life for the better! According to statistics, this will make you happier, grow you into the best professional and person, and, of course, if everything burns out, you can get the best salary in the long run!

Bonus withdrawal


This is true for programmers as well as for representatives of other professions, for example, marketers or even executive managers!

Our culture


I described what we are trying to build in TAIKAI . It's not just about the product, but also about the team. It may sound like a cliche, but my team is really my family with whom we are building the future, and this is reflected in our culture! Do not take our word for it! Better ask anyone on our team!

TL; DR:


The smaller the company, the happier you will feel!

Learn more about the course.

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