I still remember the first day they asked me where I would like to work during the process of transitioning into tech. It was the first step to be accepted on my data science bootcamp. At that time I didn’t know what to answer and neither do I nowadays. It used to stress me. It seemed I wasn’t focused 100% on my new challenge. I was wondering why I didn’t have that point clear.

After finishing my course I didn’t have any clue of what to do next and an overview of the job market. I just knew I wanted to work in artificial intelligence like all fresh graduates in this field. I didn’t know anything about the real applications of AI and how it was spread across all industries. They told me my previous job experience was important in order to get a job (6 years in logistics and 2 in finance) and I could use it as examples of my soft skills. So I was feeling confident I would have lots of opportunities waiting for me once I finished.

The only thing I had clear in my mind was that I should continue learning and the course was just the beginning of a long lasting process. I was willing to find a place that had similar values to mine. I never realized my values could change and also the company’s ones as a result of different situations. For example, I tried to stick to what I believe, but due to the pandemic I had to be more flexible in this or at least think twice about my decisions.

Besides, it’s difficult to spot the real values a company has if you are not inside. And that makes the search harder: checking their website, their events, photographs (you can’t imagine how many things you can learn from them), their ratings and comments in job websites, however the best method is to connect with people from the company and ask them.

Almost 3 months after finishing the bootcamp I can conclude I will not probably know my top companies, but at least I have sympathy for a few. Maybe I like their product, the way they communicate or how they treat their employees. In my opinion we tend to rank everything as a measure of our boundaries and although it’s good to have things clear in mind it’s ok to have an overview idea of what you like and (in an easier way) what you don’t.

The most important thing is that a workplace should have a balance between what I need as a constant learner, where I want to be and growth opportunities. Favoritism is based on feelings in the end and in my opinion can be comparable to love. For example, you have (or not) a top 5 of people that you like (usually film stars, singers or sports celebrities) and it’s possible you end up with someone who was not on the list and have a better life experience than expected. So my question is: do I need to know who are the most attractive men in order to find a partner? It doesn’t make sense, right? So why does it make sense when looking for a job in tech?

Lets face it, people want you to answer a top 5 with a well-known company in that list, but it’s completely fair to have unknown companies on it. They don’t have to be well-known by all of us. Instead of asking what are your top 5 companies I would recommend to ask the industry in which you would like to contribute. The question is wider and the answer too, but allows the interviewee to feel better if he/she doesn’t yet have a clear vision of what they want, but has a strong interest in what they are passionate about.

In the end the goal is to feel comfortable where you are and that is possible with or without a list of top 5 companies. I know from people who only had one company in mind, go for it and get the job. As simple as this. So it’s important to be focused on the most important thing: being hired by an awesome company.