SAAS and the tech industry
SAAS stands for “software as a service”. It is the idea of providing your customer with a product that they can rely on to be part of their normal business. A lot of the software you use can be considered SAAS so let’s talk about some of the big ones, so you get a better picture.
Some SAAS Examples
Salesforce is one of the first SAAS companies that comes to mind for many people. Salesforce is one of the largest names in CRM (customer relationship management). Over 100K companies rely on Salesforce to do their business.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a huge player in the SAAS space. Their services are varied, run well, and are highly-available. AWS has become the backbone for a lot of technology stacks at companies small to large. GCP (Google Cloud Platform) and Microsoft Azure are similar providers, and these three represent the majority of market share for cloud service providers.
Slack is the instant messenger of choice for many businesses. They’re worth billions by providing a service that many companies rely on to communicate internally.
Startups vs Established Companies
First, realize that startups ARE real companies. They are not different simply because people call them a startup, or they’ve only been around for a couple weeks / months / years. Startups can be small and lean, or large and process-driven. Established companies can be the same way. Don’t believe that all startups are super innovative, cool, and on the cutting-edge. And don’t think that just because a company has been around for a few decades and has thousands of employees that they are just giant corporate code factory. Leave your preconceptions as the door.
At some point in your career you may be faced with the decision of whether to work for one of these startups or a more established company. There’s no right answer, just what’s right for you at the time. This applies at a higher level, too. There’s no right answer of what company to go work for, just what seems right to you at the time. Your personal and professional needs will change over time so be open to the opportunities that you get.
Profanity in a Professional Environment
The engineering world can be a foul-mouthed place sometimes. You will need to find where on the cursing spectrum your team falls and probably be a little bit less profane than them, at least to start.