In this blog I speak directly to my Developer, Software Engineer (SWE), Game Developer and aspiring Tech Career family (aka you!).

You deserve better!!

Dare I say, You deserve the best!!

I have been a part of the tech industry and have worked as a "Professional" Developer since mid-2015. And even years before that, I was developing games, publishing apps, and looking for my first real chance at being in the industry. And as I have matriculated through the industry and have grown from a "No Nothing" Dev to a Tech Lead, I have always believed one thing to be true…

"Those who work as developers and build the tech that we use in our daily lives, deserve to work in a positive and respectful work environment"

What breaks my heart the most is to see my fellow devs and tech industry family being torn down on the job. I've known devs across many industries, across many companies and have heard and seen many things. Some good, some bad, some incredible and some abhorrent. And I'd like to share some things I feel that we as devs all deserve in the workplace.

To be clear, I can ONLY speak for myself (and I only speak on my own behalf) but here is what I believe every dev deserves; no matter how junior, how senior or how long they have been in the industry.

Fair and Competitive Compensation

Recently, I saw a post on Twitter where a hiring professional told a story about a recent hire. They said when it was time to offer this recent hire, a candidate at the time, their compensation package, they purposely low-balled the offer and this candidate wasn’t aware they were being low-balled. Maybe it was lack of experience, maybe it was lack of research or maybe it was the lack of confidence to speak up for themselves, but recent hire accepted the offer. The hiring manager proudly proclaimed how they had gotten the hire for a "steal" and that the candidate was to blame and should do better at advocating for themselves.

I don't know why, but this hurt me deeply in my soul. I vividly recall my first job offer for a tech job and I was desperate for experience and for a better income. To be very honest, I would have accepted ANYTHING at the time. I had medical issues I was dealing with, student loans in forbearance and a car that was ticking time bomb. When I got the offer and the recruiter asked me if the compensation package that was offered fit my expectations, I said to her genuinely that I had no idea what I should be asking for and that it would be great to be paid more but that I genuinely would take anything. Looking back, that was a bit foolish to say, but I didn’t know any better. Luckily for me, the recruiter heard me and went to bat for me and got me a 5% increase in pay. I was so grateful!

I was extremely lucky! That 5% may seem miniscule to some but that 5% was LIFE CHANGING!

All Devs deserve to be paid their worth. Yes! It should represent competitive salaries and what makes sense for that role, but at no time should a candidate, new hire, or long time employee wonder if they are receiving what they deserve. I encourage my developer and SWE family to be educated on what is a competitive salary for your skills but I would call on more companies to make sure base pay reflects what's right for those candidates at that time.

A Healthy Work-Life Balance

Let's be honest. This pandemic has been extremely hard on everyone worldwide. We lost friends, family, opportunities and the chance to live life to the full. I can't imagine what each one of you have experienced during this time and I wish I could change it all. But in the mire and muck that has been the last few years, one thing has seemed to have shone through the darkness. That we as people are more than our jobs and more than what we do to pay our bills. We are complex and varied people who need balance in our daily lives to survive.

With the pandemic forcing many of us in our industry to Work-From-Home or to work in some form of modified working environment, I think the issue of work-life balance has begun to come to the forefront.

With many workers having to take on more child care, family, and home responsibilities, companies have begun to realize how real life can be for employees. I’ve seen grace that would have NEVER been given in the past being freely extended to employees and employers providing extra services that benefit their employees outside of work.

I believe this needs to be the standard for all working environments. That all employees are people and that they should be treated more holistically as such.

In the past I’ve had prospective employers explain to me that overtime is not only expected but the standard. That doesn't seem like overtime to me! That seems like too much time 😅

I say all this to say that devs should have the reasonable expectation to work their jobs, putting their full effort into it, but should also have the expectation that when they "clock out" they are free to live out other aspects of their lives to the full. It should never be an expectation for an employee to sacrifice their well-being, health or family for ANY job.

An Employer that Invests in Their Growth

I can still vividly remember the Friday when I got my first job offer in the tech industry. It had been a long arduous road where I had been rejected from jobs so frequently, it was essentially the norm. I was beyond excited but there was one problem; This wasn't the only job that was seriously considering me and I had to make a decision between the two.

Job #1 paid significantly less but promised on-the-job training and Job #2 paid significantly more (2x more) but I was explicitly told that I would not be trained and that it would be "up to me" to learn what I needed to perform the job.

Looking back on that moment, the choice should have been obvious but it was a pretty tough decision for me to make. I was absolutely financially destitute and I knew how much a good paycheck would change my life. But after thinking about it, getting advice, praying and meditating, I decided to take Job #1.

One of the best Decisions I've ever made!

To have an employee that directly invested in my professional growth was truly life-changing. I was not only encouraged to learn new skills and expose myself to new concepts that could help me mature in my career, but there were dedicated resources available to that end. There were online courses, in-office classes, and a culture of continuous learning that truly inspired me.

I didn't know how much I took that for granted until I briefly worked for an employer who did not invest in my growth. Not only did it stifle my personal growth, it limited innovation and improvement in me and my teams day-to-day application development on the job. Without the direct investment from our employer into the employees, it felt as if we were on our own to figure out how to improve.

I want to note that not all employers have the same resources to invest in their employees or developers BUT I do believe any form of investment into your employees growth shows that they care. It shows that they care about the long-term of employees/developers and that they want to see their employees flourish, not just "Get the Job Done".

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I feel extremely lucky to be working for an employer that lives out all three of these principles above and I hope to see more employers doing the same! It's my hope that in the future, the above will be the standard in all companies because I truly mean it when I say “Devs deserve the best!

So what do you think developers deserve from their employers? What have you experienced on the job or in your job search that you liked or disliked? And Am I missing anything on this list?

Thank you so much for reading this blog and I wish you all the best!

Onwards and Upwards,

Bradston Henry
Developer Relations Manager at Asurion

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