Big Tech Sucks at Retaining python Developers, Small Businesses Win!

Big tech is not performing well in retaining its Python developers like the small businesses

Small businesses are using technology to outpace bigger rivals. Apparently, every developer wants to work for a giant, faceless corporation. And in any case, every software developer has to begin designing code somewhere, whether at a mid-size tech company or their old college roommate's startup, which means that smaller businesses are often a route into the industry for many Python developers just starting out.

And depending on a company's size, a developer will face different challenges and use different skill sets. Brendan O'Leary, the developer evangelist at GitLab, says that smaller companies can offer greater feelings of connectedness between a developer and their work's impact on their company. O'Leary says smaller companies allow Python developers to focus more on their cycle time, which is the time it takes from writing the first line of code to seeing it go into production. That can be a huge advantage that a small company can offer, he says: "That's an intrinsic motivator that's really hard to replace with money or anything else." O'Leary says developers at larger companies are more likely to feel disconnected from their work's direct impact on their company and its customers.

Bigger businesses do offer specific advantages for certain types of individuals. At a larger company, software developers and engineers can expect more structure, clearly designated roles and responsibilities, and established processes. A larger company is probably further along in its DevOps growth and hires Python developers who are ready to face a project head-on. That can be a good environment for someone just starting out. "Working as a developer at a large company implies a structured environment with well-established processes and roles," Richardson says. "It can be especially valuable for young graduates to learn within a structured environment and see software development at scale while acquiring best practices."

The downside, of course, is that Python developers in a bigger business might find themselves completing mundane tasks. According to a Stack Overflow survey, 45% agreed that feeling unproductive is the number one reason they're unhappy at work, with inflexible working practices not far behind as something to complain about. This issue is particularly true at larger companies if developers work on a small part of a larger project, with each team of developers holding one piece of the puzzle, and little sense of what the completed work looks like. In contrast, smaller companies can offer software developers a more comprehensive range of knowledge, as each developer will need to take on more pieces of the puzzle and manage more parts of a project. At these companies, Python developers will be closer to understanding a problem and will work closely with the required steps to find a solution.

Larger companies overcome some of the challenges of building software by using smaller groups to make the process more manageable. Smaller teams can communicate and collaborate faster, releasing software at lightning speed. As a company grows, it will need to split its engineers and Python developers into much smaller teams, and each team will oversee a small portion of a project. Even some of the largest tech companies still want their developers to keep to small teams, to emulate the agility of small businesses.

Flexibility is another factor. Richardson says Python developers working at small companies and startups have more autonomy and responsibilities than they would at larger business. This autonomy creates room for developers to pitch new ideas to the company. According to the Stack Overflow survey, 39% of respondents said that a lack of growth opportunities makes them unhappy with their jobs. A developer's possibilities to expand and grow in their career might be much higher at smaller companies.

Working at a small, mid-size, or large company has positive and negative aspects. It all depends on what an individual developer or engineer strives for in their career, and how many responsibilities they'd like to take on in their professional lives. But it's almost universal for developers to want to understand the impact of their work and feel like the work they complete is meaningful and valuable to society. So in a tough market, hiring managers at companies big and small should look at the work they are offering and consider how the developers they recruit can be made to feel like they are really making a difference.