Working for a major tech company has been a dream for millennials and previous generations for a few years, perhaps even decades. Movies have been made and books written about the exciting life in Silicon Valley and the media is often emphasizing the perks of getting hired by one of the big tech companies.
In fact, the area just south of the Bay Area is an exciting place, with people all over the world bringing a bit of their culture - something from their native countries - which helps make that part of California an extremely rich place in terms of people.
However, not only are many of the best-known tech companies not situated in the Valley, but the big ones are not necessarily the only choice when it comes to looking for that dream job. One thing to notice is that for the people who work there, earning money and professional success are not usually the end goals.
The state of mind of those people coupled with their behavior and attitude reproduces in the businesses what we so commonly see in the books and films and in the mainstream media in general.
The part of making a fortune is many times portrayed as the final goal, while it is the ecosystem created by entrepreneurial minds, mentors, investors, academics and government that form a synergy that allows for the development of the human being.
That is, perhaps, the main goal that is debated in cafes and meetings around Stanford - how to improve people’s lives, how to transform society, how to create a new and better reality.
So before trying to land a job in one of the major companies, in the Valley or in other similar hubs in the country, it might be interesting to take a look at how the pieces fit together among tech companies these days, with an open mind and a look beyond finance.
It may be interesting to observe and reflect how this universe within the planet has been working almost independently from the status quo, and how its business models have been influencing other companies around the globe. Since few have time and money in their lives to travel and spend time researching, and moreover, have limited access to the inside of these companies, perhaps the best way to do that is getting a job at a small tech company.
Here below are the 2017 list of the 10 best medium-sized tech companies to apply for in the upcoming year.
Health Catalyst
Health Catalyst is a software company from Salt Lake City that has 465 employees and is considered by one of their employees: “A positive, transparent, mission-driven company with great collaborative culture.”
Live Ramp
Employees at LiveRamp consider this marketing automation software company to be trusting of their employees to get the job done without telling them how or where to do it.
homeyou
“This is the best company to work for” and “fun atmosphere and excitement” are some of the statements heard among the homeyou employees. The company headquartered in Massachusetts has pool and foosball tables, massage chairs, and video games for all employees. “It is among the best to work in!“ and “It’s supra-cultural and everyone’s together to make it grow and everyone’s so helpful within and to the market!” are things heard from inside this customer-driven company that seems to make everyone who works there happy about their fun jobs.
Asana
Asana has offices in San Francisco, NYC, and Dublin. It’s considered by their employees as a “company with a phenomenal team that strives together for the same mission.”
Classy
An online fundraising platform for nonprofits, Classy, from San Diego has a “fun and exciting culture with a team whose work ethic is contagious,” according to one of their employees.
MetroMile
An employee at MetroMile says that he works with “super smart, dedicated and driven people.” The company is a San Francisco-based car insurance start-up.
SeatGeek
SeatGeek is a live entertainment search engine based in NYC. People who work there are “driven by the fun product, the really smart crowd, and the exciting prospects the company has for the future.” They also consider the company to be “extremely transparent.”
SailPoint Technologies
People at SailPoint value that “they treat employees like adults and that they allow people to do their best work.” SailPoint is an identity management cloud software company.
Entelo
With headquarters in the Bay Area, Entelo is a recruiting company. It’s considered by their crew to be “a company that balances the hard grind of startup life with fun times.”
Illuminate Education
Illuminate Education works with schools offering big data analytics software. Workers are impressed by “how the company treats career growth” and how “people go out of their way to help others.”
Greenhouse Software
This reputable company is headquartered in NYC. Greenhouse produces a software to optimize the recruiting process. Their workers are excited about the “positive buzz that exists in the office” and that the people there realize how each one impact growth.”
Overall, all these relatively small companies have realized that they can, as an environment, foment intellectual wealth both within and to their communities, as well as to the world. Experiencing these environments in practice will allow you to become more confident about yourself and your position in the market.
If you want to see the whole list and Glassdoor’s glance at the best medium and small tech companies to work, check out their website.
Would you consider working for one of these companies? What is a dream job for you? Share your opinions in the comments below or on our Facebook page.
