Career advice to a younger self: the importance of choosing the right company
Early in my career one of my colleagues was very dismissive of jobs in “prestigious” companies. Writing code and fixing bugs is the same no matter where you are. I used to think like him. I mean, how much better can engineers at Google really be?
Leaving aside the debate of X10 engineers, my opinion on this has completely turned around. Now I believe that, in terms of learning and growth, the difference between companies isn’t measured in multiples, but orders of magnitude. One of the reasons of this massive difference is that some companies stall growth, or actually make you a worse engineer. That’s why we say some people have 10 years of experience, while others have the same year of experience 10 times.
the difference between companies isn’t measured in multiples, but orders of magnitude
My advice to my younger self is the following: be much more thoughtful about what companies you choose to join. The growth that you achieve will determine how far you get in your career. Not only that, but as any other investment, personal growth compounds over time, making it critical to choose wisely early on.
So what companies are best to join if you want to maximise learning? This is something I’m still exploring myself. However I have a few tips based on my experience.
First, choose either a fast growing startup, or an established high performing large company. A fast growing startup will force you to learn by doing and stretch your abilities to the limit. An established high performing company will provide you with stability and structured learning. In both cases you will be able to have impactful work.
You should avoid what I call “the awkward middle”. These are companies profitable enough to stay alive, but not in a fast growth path; they are large enough where you won’t have the opportunities of a startup, but not so large that you will be able to have a big impact. In short, these companies are the worst of both worlds.
Second, choose a tech-focused company. Either the company produces a tech product, or it uses technology as an essential component of the product. I’m not saying you can’t have a great career in the IT department of an insurance company, but when engineers are treated as second class citizens, your career growth will suffer.
Third, choose a company with the right culture. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate more and more how much of an impact company culture can have in people and products. In order to maximise learning you should look for cultures that foster support, psychological safety, the ability to experiment, stretch your abilities, and produce impactful work.
look for cultures that foster support, psychological safety, the ability to experiment, stretch your abilities, and produce impactful work
In conclusion, the impact of what company you choose to work for in your career is far greater than I anticipated. The right environment can boost or set back you development by several years. If you don’t have access to such a position at the moment, you should orient yourself in a way that you can get there over time. It takes time and effort, but with these guidelines in mind you will be in a path of self improvement.
