Why is it so good to work for an application development company?

It is a story about fear, anxiety and pressure. A story not from a distant past, just a couple of years ago. I was looking for a job and I have applied to several companies. The only words I used to read in those months, were classifieds, career web page of companies, and job descriptions on different online job portals. I was optimistic, but results were not encouraging.

 

Then I get an interview call from a tech company, I looked up their profile over the internet and found that it’s an application development company. The website was impressive, and the portfolio was even more impressive.

 

To be honest, I never knew much about tech companies or what they exactly do. Then it occurred to me, most tech companies are developing softwares and apps for us (consumers). Being a business school graduate with a major in marketing, trust me, it was not that simple. So, I tried to prepare for the interview as best as I could. I tried to learn what they (the company) do, and for whom they do it and how they do it. I also tried to learn, how can I help with my existing experience, which was actually next to zero back then.

 

When I reached the office, I was impressed once again. It was a neat and clean office, with a beautiful aesthetic sense. The best example came to my mind was Apple’s previous iOS. The receptionist asked me to fill a form on an iPad and it was flattering.

 

Then she led me to a room, which may have fit into a description of a conference room if there were any chairs or a table. But there were a couple of canoes, a huge floor cushion, a digital LCD screen, a clear glass on the wall and couples of  more floor cushions. If the office has not done it yet, this room did it. To say I was impressed would be a lesser statement. I was mesmerized.

 

Then came a young, cheerful guy with an attire that gave me another jolt. All our life, we have been taught to dress properly for an interview, but that guy was wearing a worn out Jeans and a T-Shirt.

 

When he spoke, he never asked a single question I prepared to answer. He asked me about the best experience of my educational life, an extra-curricular activity that I would always yearn for, how I interact with the latest technologies, which social media platform I prefer to use and why. He also asked me about my favorite apps and why do I like them. That’s it, and I was offered a job as a marketing executive. I joined the company in the next couple of days and it turned out to be a wonderful experience, as I expected.

 

A couple of years and a few companies later, I realized why it is so good working for a tech company. While working with that app development company, the freedom to wear anything while you are at work is far greater than you can imagine. The pay is also good. The open environment and a healthy culture make sure that there are plenty of opportunities to learn new things.

 

My buddies at the business school, who got jobs in other companies would often complain about late working hours or a boring job routine. It was completely different with me. I am not saying that there are no tech companies with a bad culture and worse environment. Yet, tech companies try to follow a healthy environment and culture.