Counting co-op experiences (internship) and excluding freelancing, I had accumulated about 6-7 years of work experience.
With the six 4-month co-op work terms, I was given the opportunity to try out different jobs (researcher, web developer), working in different fields (opto-electronics, software), and for different companies and organizations. I still remember vividly my first work term as a web developer in a small internet start-up company. In those days, everything seemed new and refreshing in the industry, and that vibrant and energetic work environment had definitely made a lasting impression on me.
I was fortunate enough to experience that same vibrant work atmosphere when my friend introduced me to a job in a small software company after I got my bachelor degree. The company develops CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software for clients in the automotive industry, and being a small company (less than 10 employees when I started), I needed to be well versed in all aspects of the software development cycle (i.e. gathering customer requirements, development, testing, debugging, support,…). It was a great learning experience, but the ever expanding company had management issues and the work ethics were not quite professional for some colleagues, I decided to leave after working there for more than a year.
Another friend introduced me to a software development position for a slightly bigger company as my second full-time work. The company was taken over by an international standard organization and it grew quickly. In a big organization, my job became more specific and more routine, and more time was spent on meaningless meetings and paperwork instead of actual work. Although the work was stable and secure, it became too stagnant and the boredom was sucking up my life. I probably wouldn’t be able to survive more than 2 years of work if not for the more fun-loving and less uptight IT gang.
My work experience seems to be telling me that I don’t belong to the corporate world, and a young SME with a vibrant and fun work environment is where I will strive. I hope to recreate that exciting atmosphere experienced in my first work term, and I hope that I can share that fun with a few of my friends…
