This article discusses the choice of emplyoer, either a Service or a Product company.
Not so often, but software engineers as well as beginners do ask this question. The scenario could be like this. They have 2 or more offers in hand. One is a product-based company and another is a service-based company.I am providing a brief discussion of both type of companies and their characteristics.Service CompanyExamples of a service-based company are TCS, Infosys and Wipro. They fulfill software requirements for a client. The language of these companies is that the client is the King! Product CompanyProduct-based company examples are Microsoft, Google and Yahoo. They fulfill product requirements of the general consumer. The language of these companies is that quality is the King! Self-ActualizationThe right company is the one that satisfies the employee's self-actualization (as per Narayana Murthy). So I recommend one should examine their passion in choosing the best suited company. For example, the following are the few categories of engineers that I observed in my career:
Oh! There are 2 types of engineers? Yeah! Technology Passion EngineersThese are those engineers who have a built-in passion for technology, the latest frameworks, adapting to efficient methodologies, building programs and so on. They have natural talent towards learning, growing & meeting excellence in their career. They constitute around 30% of the tribe. I believe Product Companies best suits them. Why? Since product companies are in the tough competitions arena to deliver quality products with increased operating efficiency, they need to allocate the best people, technology & methodologies. Adding to my experience that I have seen the latest/best technologies & methodologies applied well in product based companies. A few examples for 2015:
So obviously the Technology Passion Engineers should get higher self-actualization here. Did I mention it? Yeah! The Big Money too goes here. Soft Skilled EngineersThese are the engineers who are not naturally obsessed towards technology but fulfill the minimum technical requirement & they have other soft skills to contribute well to the organization. A few of the soft skills are:
These kinds of people fit well with service-based companies. Why? Service-based companies gain customers not just through technological excellence. There are other soft skills required to win the trust of a client, as well as maintaining it. This soft skill factor will flow from the top to the bottom, making the technical excellence take a back seat. As in a service-based company the following cases would occur:
Clearly a Technology Passion Engineer cannot guarantee self-actualization in service-based companies. One of my old colleagues shared his experience: He created a cost-cutting framework and was happy to share this with the CEO. But, the CEO was too weak with programming to understand the advantage. The result is his passion for technology began to erode. But, all of these work to the advantage of the Soft Skilled person. They should be able to progress higher in service-based companies.
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