If you are a Software Developer and are looking for new opportunities, you probably have this comfortable situation where you can choose from numerous job offers. However, it can also be difficult because it involves making many decisions on various levels, starting with the type of company you would like to work with.
Were you ever wondering if you would feel better in a startup developing its own product, a large corporation, a technology company or maybe in a software house? In this article, I will try to help you a bit and show what working in a software house is like.
What is a software house?
Software house is a company creating dedicated software for external or internal clients, taking responsibility for the entire product development cycle: analysis, design, programming, implementation, maintenance, administration and development. In other words, it is a place where business meets technology and where IT solutions are designed to support clients’ business goals. Therefore, this type of companies employ many specialists from various areas: primarily Software Developers, Architects and QA Specialists, but also Product Owners, Scrum Masters, UX and UI Designers or Marketing, HR and Sales Specialists. Although these people are from different departments, they work closely together, to support the client at every stage of cooperation to help achieve their business goals.
Work with specialists from various fields
Daily work with people specializing in various fields can be very inspiring and positively affect your professional development. The need for constant exchange of information between different departments and looking for compromises between their different points of view, makes you look at your work from a broader perspective. Your knowledge is constantly used by others, which means that you have to learn to transfer it in a simple and understandable way.
How does it look in practice?
A Software Developer in addition to creating high-quality software, supports the activities of the Business Development department, starting from the assessment of whether we are able to do a given project and in what technologies. Then he prepares estimates or participates in workshops with the client, during which the client’s business goals and project’s shape are determined. In the next stage, he helps the Service Delivery department (Product Owners and Scrum Masters) by advising on the composition of the team that will be responsible for the implementation of the project. In the meantime, he supports the Marketing Department by creating technical content for a blog or participating in conferences and IT meetups as a speaker. He also takes part in the recruitment process checking the tasks performed by the candidates and conducting technical interviews.
Variable projects and dynamic changes
Working in a software house involves changing projects you are working on at least several times a year. In most software houses, what connects projects is the technical stack. However, the rest change every time you change the project – the team responsible for project implementation, the client and business goals, the Product Owner and Scrum Master, and even the tools, frameworks and libraries used. This is a big challenge and requires great flexibility, quick learning and adaptation to various situations, but it is also a great opportunity for development for those who feel good in a dynamically changing environment.
Understanding of business needs
If you have ever wondered if your work has any purpose and why you write code – in a software house you will not have such dilemmas. Here, the operation of the entire company is focused on achieving the client’s business goals (and helping define them if necessary) by creating a successful product. The role of a Software Developer is not only to write code, but also to advise the client on the solutions most beneficial from a business perspective. Therefore, the work of the project team goes far beyond the code, and their success is measured by the success of the product they helped create.
The possibility of development in different directions
Working at a software house gives you the possibility of both vertical and horizontal development. In addition to the standard promotion path from junior to senior or leader, you can also specialize in various technologies. If it turns out that you have talent in other areas than programming – you can change the department and try your hand at a completely different position 🙂
Is working in a software house suitable for you?
If all of the above makes you wonder whether working in a software house is a good choice for you, I will try to help you and summarize what competencies are key in this type of company. Let’s skip the most obvious ones (such as a good knowledge of technologies required by a company or taking care of good practices when writing code) and focus on soft skills, which are very important here:
- Excellent communication skills – if you like to put on headphones and focus only on writing code, this job will not be for you. In the software house, you have to constantly communicate with clients, colleagues from your team and other departments, so it’s good if you’re open, you like people and talk to them :).
- The ability to share knowledge – your skills are useful in every department of the company. That is why it is crucial for you to be able to share knowledge precisely and in a way adapted to the recipient (and your recipients will be very different people – both technical and not, from within the company or clients)
- Quick learning skills and flexibility – due to the dynamic work environment and many projects you will participate in, you must be open to continuous learning and many challenges. If you treat changes as a good opportunity to gain new experience, draw conclusions from mistakes and like to experiment – you will feel very good here.
- Analytical skills and understanding of business goals – you will make decisions and advise the best solutions for the project based on the data provided by the client. You will have to ask the right questions, see the risks (including those in the distant perspective) and draw conclusions.
- Thinking out of the box – looking for better solutions and not following the known path will be a permanent element of your daily work, so an open mind and creativity are really necessary here.
If you feel that a software house can be a good place for you, let us know or check out our job offers!