I want to clearify what I’m looking for in my working life. It’s still a collection of notes.
First draft I ended up writing about all values like Culture, Ownership, Direct feedback and other corporate buzzwords cringe.
And while all the corpo-speak about values is true, the most important thing for me is the environment that I want to end up in.
I’m well educated (scientifically) and hard working, so I have the youthful naivety to believe I can still learn pretty much any technical skill. This makes me care less about the branche or sector that I’m applying to, but more about the people and culture that I want to be working with.
Generalism vs Specialism.
I’ve played with the thought of becoming a COBOL engineer, have a very narrow focus and become the best in a niche (and rake in the cash). However, I just enjoy knowing a bit of everything and be able to connect the dots between totally different domains. Adittionally, the technical skills such as programming languages seem like a means to an end for me, so I do not envision building a carreer on a very specific technical skill. Rather, I’d like to be responsible for specific outcomes and be able to use whatever skill is needed to get there.
(Too much) Responsibility and ownership
My best performances came when I was given a bit too much responsibility and I had to figure out how to get the job done on the fly. Periods of wo§rking extremely hard are rewarding to me. Working truely hard requires the confidence of knowing that I’m heading in the right direction. That requires me to understand the vision. There should be room to discuess the vision and strategy, and there should be a path laid down to earning trust and ownership.
Culture
Long deliberation and decision making processes drain my energy. If I think something is worth doing, I want to do it. I want to be somewhere that rewards trying, iterating and learning from the occasional mistake. (Action & Speed) I need to be surrounded by people that are driven and ambitious. I know that I can learn any technical skill myself, and prefer to be surrounded by people from whom I can learn other things, such as: how to think, how to lead, or just how to be a better person.
Nice to haves
Long deliberation and decision making drains my energy. If I think something is worth doing, I want to do it. I want to be somewhere that rewards trying, iterating and learning from the occasional mistake. (Action & Speed)
### **Feedback, being frank and friendly
To improve quickly, I need direct and honest feedback. Not performative politeness, but a culture where ideas are challenged and people are comfortable disagreeing openly. The goal should be getting to the best answer, not protecting egos.
This also means I need to be held accountable by people who are sharper or more experienced than me in certain domains.
I want to be surrounded by people that think of ways to optimize everything they do. If something could be done better, communicate it (direct feedback!). Being able to give unsollicited feedback is a must for me (Learning, Feedback & Standards(?))
Why work 40 hours if it can be done in 20? I want to be somewhere that judges output over process and trusts people to organize their work. At the end of the day I want to be proud of the work that I deliver and want to get there as efficient as possible. If there is more room, lets search for the next challenge!
Next steps
Startups sound like a good place for me. I’m compiling a list of all startups in Amsterdam and will start reaching out to the ones that seem intresting. If you have any suggestions, please reach out! I’m open to all kinds of opportunities and would love to chat about it.
