You don’t need to work for a FAANG company to “make it”
from a Junior UX Designer who once thought you had to work for a FAANG company to “make it”
Has working for a FAANG company turned into the same societal chase to get into an Ivy league University? It sorta feels like it. People in tech are fast to apply and put a lot of meaning on landing a role in big tech. It’s like a literal and metaphorical verified tag that ultimately validates their job title and credibility.
I am not saying to not aim for this (bc who am I to say that) but, I am saying there are wonderful, tech mature, and impactful companies that offer great benefits and an opportunity to grow…and it probably hasn’t even crossed your radar OR you’re working in one and don’t feel completely “verified” if no one has heard of it.
Rewiring job hunt criteria
As someone working as a junior product designer in their first role ever (woohoo!), I have had conversations with fresh college grads or existential college seniors who have their minds set on aiming for a role in big tech. Some do and that is an amazing achievement, but some don’t and are devastated by the back to back letters of rejection. And getting told no by companies you hold a lot of meaning to really hurts your motivation and confidence. But what if we didn’t leave it up to FAANG to tell us we are verified? What if we sought out companies with an innovative product, supportive team dynamic, high growth potential/opportunities, and generous pay, regardless of their brand awareness? Wouldn’t that be a much better way to look at job hunting ? Because at the end of the day, you are the one working in the role day in and day out. It doesn’t matter if it’s at Amazon, Lyft, Coinbase, or Bumble if the cons outweigh the pros and you aren’t getting much from the title other than external validation.
Perks to working for lesser known tech companies
To keep it short, I believe it’s the impact. There’s potentially less office politics, and red tape in these environments. And with small to medium sized companies hiring more bootcamp grads and folks with different backgrounds, there is going to be more innovative ideas coming from a diverse team. This is really great for growth and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone with more green lights to be experimental rather than having a lot of things outlined for you.
And benefits wise, a lot of companies are taking note of big tech’s unlimited PTO, generous health coverage, competitive salary, remote option, and work/life balance priorities to remain competitive and seek out talent that would normally apply to more well known companies.
I don’t have a North Star company I want to work for
Personally, I don’t dream of working at a certain company in the near or far future at the moment. This could change, as do a lot of my opinions, but I feel this is a good outlook to have. I went into my job hunt like this too. Yes, I did send out a lot of applications hoping something would bite, but I aimed for smaller to medium sized tech companies that I felt had less red tape to offer me more growth opportunities on an existing design team. I didn’t apply for anything in big tech because frankly I didn’t think it was in my league and I would rather focus my attention on getting interviews with teams that I had better chances with.
I do, however, have interests in different tech niches I find interesting to be part of in the future. I would love a chance to dive into fintech, educational tech, and health tech someday. But, because I am really enjoying the problems I am solving now in the marketing software space, I am excited to dig deeper and gain more knowledge in my current role.
Takeaways
To career pivoters and juniors entering tech alike, getting your first role is hard; don’t make it harder by limiting yourself to a select few of employers 💼
