Is Your Job Serving You Well? 4 Key Topics to Evaluate

Discover the critical questions that can redefine your job satisfaction and career path.

In order to review your happiness at work, you're will have to answer a few questions to yourself.

I have been working in the tech industry for over 8 years and I evaluate if I am 'Happy' with the current job bi-annually. The software engineering market is very hot and there are ample good opportunities to choose from. I have a list of questions that can really help you objectively decide for yourself.

By the end you will be able to assess your current job is a great fit for you or not

Are you mastering engineering best practices?

Are there big gaps in the workflows or tooling used to write and ship products between your team and the industrywide conventions?

It is important to be part of a team that teaches/encourages best practices for software development. Some topics: code reviews and version control, frequency of deployments, and technical debt discussions. Some good questions to choose from are in this gist. My bar for evaluation is 90% answers to be correct.

Does your value system align with the culture and management style of your team/org?

The team structure should promote high levels of collaboration and allow you to highlight your strengths.

When your values align with that of the team, it allows you to be candid and really put in your best foot forward. It is important for the team to have a clear set of values and a review process. Some topics: data-informed decision making, management structure, performance evaluation, work assignment, and accountability, etc. My bar is 70% answers to be aligned with mine.

Are you getting the quality of life and career growth you deserve?

It is important to not be highly compromised on your quality of life or career growth in a market where demand for good engineers is high.

A great work-life balance leads to longevity in your career. Evaluate your present on topics such as: vacation time, on call duties, employee turn over rate, learning and development support etc. My bar is 90% answers to be in my favour.

How is your business doing in terms of growth?

It is important to also evaluate if the business is doing well.

If your business is not profitable or their business model does not make sense to you then it is a big red flag. You should be able to easily get information on financials or key KPIs for your business.

These areas will help you do a wholesome review of your job. Reach out to me on twitter for additional question suggestions.