Being a software developer gives you access to a lot of job opportunities working at global companies. Part of this opportunity is choosing whether to work as a freelancer, an in house employee at software-as-a-service company or a software development agency.
Many developers dream of landing a job at leading tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. And who can blame them? Aside from gaining work experience, they offer above-average pay and perks like long paid parental leaves, free gourmet meals, and paid housing. These companies are also known for their tough hiring processes due to high competition.
While not everyone can scale through their rigorous hiring process, you can try sending your applications to product companies with smaller teams or find clients to work with on a contract basis. However, you will still need to put a lot of work into sending out multiple applications and proposals to land a job or gig.
Now, if job hunting and sourcing clients directly is not your thing, you can always consider working with a software development agency.
Here are some of the benefits of partnering with a seasoned agency:
Skip the search
Software agencies have a team of people who are assigned various tasks, one of which is having a business development representative or sales team member responsible for finding clients or projects. Unlike job hunting and freelancing, you are not tasked with the burden of finding business but can instead focus on delivering quality work on or before the deadline.
Get paid sooner
Making sure you’re paid when you deliver your work may be harder when freelancing. This is typically not an issue you need to worry about when you work at a software agency. While contributing to the growth of your agency by bringing in clients is definitely a plus, you’re assured a steady paycheck depending on your contract.
Learn new skills
You can learn new things across different industries when working on client projects for an agency, such as different languages and frameworks. This is a great way to build a portfolio quickly! And you’ll have access to senior team members who can teach you what they know about development and building your career.
Now you know the benefits of working at a software agency, it’s important to recognize that not all agencies are created equally. Some are notorious for over-working employees because they are understaffed, causing burnout. Some are known to pay less with more workload without compensating for overtime.
We advise you to research some of the top software development agencies and compare them based on your personal values. You can narrow them down by digging deeper into how they work. Here are a few things to look for:
- Read through their blog post for any news update
- Check out their past projects
- Check out their mission and team on their about page
- Look out for any mention of their clientele’s satisfaction
- Check out their social media handles to get a sense of their culture
- Don’t hesitate to send any questions for any clarification before indicating your interest in working with them
We’re Charisol, a software development agency that connects remote friendly companies with a community of talented software developers. Follow us here on Medium or on social (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn).