| Honestly, my "favourite" job was working at a small independent computer store in the mid 2000s. I've never been great at talking to people, but I felt useful there. Often elderly people would come in asking for a bit of computer advice and as a company we sold ourselves on our honest advice so it never felt like I was trying to sell anything – I was always just helping people the best I could. There was no pressure either. I knew what I had to do... I made the store look presentable when it was quiet and helped the customers in whatever way I could when it was busy. There was no stress and lots of gratitude. It was minimum wage though, and I've obviously had "better" jobs since, but if I could get paid what I do now to just help people with general computer queries I'd love that. Work today is definitely more interesting intellectually, but far more stressful. There's enjoyable aspects of the challenges, but it's enjoyable in the same way a workout is I guess. To answer the question I think you're asking though, it takes a bit of time. In my experience it's less about finding interesting companies to work for and more finding companies with interesting problems that need solving. There's plenty of boring jobs at interesting companies. And of the most interesting work I've done in my career has been at companies most people would consider boring. Another thing to consider is that even an interesting job can be boring depending on the project you're assigned. The interesting projects tend come when a company trusts you enough to work on something interesting. For that to happen you'll either need experience doing similar things at other companies, or prove yourself at the company you're working for. If you're a good software engineer though there's no reason that couldn't happen within a couple of years. The only advice I can really give is to apply for companies working on problems you find interesting and who appear willing to provide opportunities for you to grow. With a bit of time and luck eventually you'll end up working on something cool. |