My favourite thing about working for a small software development company? Changing projects or the actual possibility of doing it – says Krzysiek Antecki, Senior Frontend Developer at Evojam. In this article you will find out how you can benefit from switching projects at Evojam.
Unlike product companies, where you spend most of your time building a specific product, software development companies undergo abrupt changes. Their dynamic nature grants you access to various roles and projects.
I won’t tell you how often you should use it, mainly because there’s no universal answer.
But stick with me to understand what benefits a change of project or role brings.
Industry knowledge
At Evojam, developers cooperate closely with the client. You can get first-hand information and understand the purpose of the project better.
In such an environment, switching projects equals meeting new people, often from an industry you haven’t dealt with before. Getting their perspective is a valuable lesson — Business 101 for software engineers, if you will.
From your point of view, customers might seem similar — if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Well, it’s just an illusion.
In each project, whether it’s long or short, you
- build relationships,
- get to know the client’s expectations,
- try to understand the business type and industry, and
- learn words specific to the given topic.
All these actions take time, and they significantly extend your knowledge.
Changing projects allows you to learn about each market and have a solid base for creating a meaningful connection with the next client.
Information flow
Now you understand that you benefit from working with various clients. The same rule applies to the development team and project manager.
In general, working with new people is rewarding, regardless of your level of advancement.
When you switch project teams, you get a chance to share your knowledge, deliver practical know-how, and propose new solutions. The moment you join an existing project, you have an outsider perspective, which allows you to notice more. There’s also a social aspect to it. If you don’t stick to one project team, you get to know more colleagues and strengthen your relationship with them.
Read also – 10 rules of creating a good IT job ad
Professional development
Switching projects is usually linked to launching an entirely new codebase.
For me, it’s the best yet the most challenging time in the project. The time when we, as developers, learn the most, answer the most difficult questions, and… make tons of mistakes!
The architecture, framework, and libraries you choose when starting a project will shape its future.
You don’t do the configuration and setup every day, so it’s also a suitable occasion to refresh your knowledge.
At this point, consider what you’ve learnt from the mistakes made in previous projects — define what bothered you, what was missing, and what you could have done better. Analyse what you know and seek alternative solutions.
This way, you’ll grow professionally in no time!
Versatility and adaptability
So far, I’ve told you how you benefit from switching projects. What’s the case with changing roles?
Evojam’s motto is “keep growing,” and software engineers put it into practice by learning new technologies.
It’s mostly frontend developers who decide to introduce backend frameworks and languages into their daily work, but it also happens the other way around. We even have a history of a software developer taking the role of the project manager in an internal project.
Such situations occur not only when you switch projects but also inside existing teams.
I’m a beneficiary of this possibility as I supported the backend team in one of my previous projects for less than a year. It started with me noticing the massive backlog of work of backend developers and feeling the need to pick up new skills.
The backend stack is extensive, so I learned a lot. It wouldn’t have been possible without two factors:
- a mature relationship with a client who understood why we took this decision and
- invaluable help and support of the backend team, who had a lot of patience with me.
Combining these two elements and the company’s support make role and project change possible.
The only thing left is for you to express your will!
