Introduction

The subtitle may have caught your eye. We'll get back to that, don't worry. As for my thumbnail, that's from the Anime 91 Days. If you're into the history of the mob and mafia, I highly recommend it, it's good!

Everyone has different motivations when joining a company. I decided to write about what motivates me as a software engineer. Money alone isn't a single reason. Multiple points attract me to join a company.

Let's dive in, my friend. 😍

Money

Yes, money. I'm not working for free or disrespecting myself by being underpaid. Money is a big motivation. Money matters. Money is amazing. The amount of people you can help is astonishing. I'm not just talking about family and friends here, the amount of poor and orphans you can help with money is incredible. It's amazing how many lives we can help with money. 🔥

I want a nice salary.

Pay raise

Yes my friend, going back to the subtitle, the famous 5% pay raise. What's crazy about this is how common it is in companies to give you a 3% - 10% pay raise when you get promoted to the next level.

To me, it is mind-boggling. Personally, when I was given a 3.5% pay raise in my previous company, I felt disrespected. I felt like the company didn't give a fuck about any work I put in. What's funny about it, despite being promoted from Junior to Mid, I was still getting paid less than the average Junior developers here in Germany. 💀

I want to be well rewarded within the company. A nice salary is cool, however, the good reward motivates me to stay and strive to do an even better job.

Growth

How can software engineering work be exciting when it isn't challenging?

Learning new things and endlessly encountering challenges are some of the most fun parts of software engineering.

I want to grow. You could argue that there are two types of growth:

• Growing in the company. Climbing the ladder. Get promoted.

• Growing as a software engineer. Learning, becoming more mature and experienced.

I want to grow in both aspects. Grow in the company and grow as a software engineer.

Culture & People

What is the company's culture? What are their values? How are the leaders treating their employees? How are people treating each other? Is it a collaborative environment?

One of the things I love about Bobsled is that the leaders care about their employees. For instance, if you feel like you need a day off to rest because there's been a lot of work on your table, take a day off. One of our values is also setting boundaries for ourselves, and other people should respect these boundaries. Don't work so hard that it affects your well-being.

Going back to people, this kinda ties well to the culture, but how are the people working in the company? Are they kind? How is knowledge being shared? Are people responsive, willing to help, and collaborate?

Another thing to be aware of is how the company is structured and the hierarchy within the company. I don't want to work in a company where my feedback and opinions don't matter because I'm a software engineer and not a manager. Regardless of the hierarchy, everyone's voice should matter.

Tech

It motivates me but isn't one of the core motivations. I love working with fancy and edge-cutting tech. That's also one of the things I get to do at Bobsled. Some of our technologies & tools are in the Beta phase.

I'm a software engineer, it excites me to be able to craft software with fancy tools. Kinda how it is exciting to get the latest smartphone for the sake of it.

Don't get me wrong. I know, the important part is making our customers happy, that's what matters, not the tech that's being used.

The vision

I have to believe in the vision. The future has to excite me. The problem we are solving must be a problem I see and understand.

This is arguably one of my strongest motivations. How would the world or a specific industry look if we get to the place we desire?

Personally: I have too much energy. I want to work on something revolutionary. I want to work on something that helps the world move forward, and the results should be outstanding. I want to wake up every day feeling energized like an Anime character. 😈

Conclusion

Multiple things motivate me as a software engineer. However, I do want to say, for software engineers out there not feeling motivated, take ownership of your career and find a place where you're motivated.