July will mark the start of my fourth year with Automattic, a milestone I’ve never before crossed in my professional career1. Generally, after about two years, my interest has waned and I’m better off finding a new employer. It’s different with Automattic.
In my time with the company, I’ve been on three different teams, each working on very different projects. This has not only presented new challenges to hold my attention, but also allowed me to work closely with a new set of colleagues; both are experiences a new job would’ve provided2.
Even more compelling, one of my team switches came at my request, after months of thought and planning. I knew I was ready to do something different, knew how I wanted to do that, and was afforded the opportunity. Of particular interest, I left a “management” position because I wanted to focus on my skills as a developer, a move that had no negative repercussions. There are few companies where that wouldn’t be considered a demotion.
Given the opportunities and benefits Automattic provides, it’s no surprise that most of us stay at the company for a long time. A really long time.
Does my experience sound interesting? We’re hiring!
Read more about my time at Automattic: http://ethitter.com/tag/automattic/.
From my first year:
- Contrary to the popular myth, this isn’t uncommon for my generation: “Enough Already About The Job-Hopping Millennials” from 538. ↩
- This is not to say that there are any colleagues on my previous teams (or current team, for that matter) that I didn’t enjoy working with. ↩