Transform Your Career And Personal Life: Finding A Great Job

#career #beginners #showdev

Nobody wants a bad job.

But what exactly is a bad job? That definition is actually up to you, as it is very personal.

So what do you want? Do you want to become the best developer you can be?

Then you need a job that continuously challenges you, as opposed to one where you do the same thing over and over.

Do you really have 10 years of experience, if you do the exact same type of work every year?

A great job, by contrast, will grow your skills continuously over time.

How do you find a great developer job?

You need to decide what a great job means to you.

A great job could mean:

More money
Better working conditions
Good benefits
Remote job

But it's important to think about why you want those things in the first place. Why does it matter to you?

More money

Having more money means more security. You also don't have to worry about money so much, so you can focus on the other parts of your life.

Better working conditions

Some jobs are very chaotic. But it doesn't have to be that way.

There are jobs out there where you barely, if ever, need to work overtime. That depends on your role too, of course.

Less overtime means you will have more time for family, friends, and hobbies.

Or maybe you would like to build your own business? Not all jobs allow you to have "side hustles."

If that is something you want, then you need to identify which potential employers let you do your own thing in your own time.

Good benefits

Maybe you don't have social healthcare in your country. You could find a company that offers this.

Maybe you don't want to buy a car? You could find a company that leases a car for you 🚗

Remote job

A great way to save more time is to find a company that isn't too far from where you live.

Not having a commute at all would save you even more time!

Market research

Now you have thought about the things you look for in a job it is time for some market research.

You could just scroll on job posting websites and apply to every single job you see.

Or you could be smart about your approach.

Companies like talking about themselves, and especially about the things that makes them great.

You can check job posting websites, company websites, company social media accounts.

It's more effort to go through all these things, but it provides you with a few benefits.

First of all, you know more about the company you are applying for. This will help you during your interviews.

Secondly, you will be able to make a more informed decision of wether you even want to apply for that company at all!

You could save yourself hundreds of hours of interviewing by only applying to the right jobs.

The image above oversimplifies your job search a lot, but that is what it comes down to: finding a job that matches your personal needs. The more those circles overlap, the better the job is for you.

Wrapping up

In conclusion, finding a great job is hard, but ultimately worth every bit of effort. After all, why would you want to spend so much time interviewing or working for the wrong companies?

I hope this article got you thinking at least a little about how to approach your future job searches.

I wrote a lot more about this subject in Developer Job Searching: The Not So Technical Parts, the eBook that covers how to find a great job you will love.

I'm still putting the finishing touches on the book. Right now, you can pre-order it at a 40% discount.

If you want to: