The World is your stage, grab it with both hands

Tech Power

It’s happening right where you are. Imagine working with a multi-layer, highly available web application that enables billions of people to better experience the Web. Imagine delivering solutions to enable financial institutions across the world to cut costs and gain competitive advantage, or building a cloud platform that can manage petabytes of data. There’s no end to the opportunities to think big in the world of technology. The phenomenal rise of the IT industry in India has thrown up a number of exciting career opportunities.

Global IT majors have made India their largest employer base, given the quality of talent and the scope of innovation available here. For employers looking for robust technology skills, India is the destination. The IT industry in India has grown swiftly over the last 15 years. From over one lakh professionals in 1993 to five lakh in 1999, today, the industry has grown to over two million professionals.

While the IT sector is propelling India’s economy, the dynamics of this industry are changing rapidly.  From the favourite destination for IT-enabled services, India is fast emerging as a Software Product Development and Innovation hub for many multinational companies. Multinational firms increasingly find it attractive to conduct advanced product development & research in India. Of the Fortune 500 companies globally, around 200 companies have set up an R&D/ Product development base in India. It’s a vibrant space to be in right now, with growth opportunities that are unique to the Product development arena.

Turning ideas into reality/ 1,000 watt brilliance

Product development is a creative activity aimed at gaining more knowledge and applying this in new ways. Watching your ideas reaching millions of people and creating some of the best-loved technology on the planet can be remarkably fulfilling and challenging at the same time. It’s the awesome sense of satisfaction to see your ideas, passion and creativity come to life. In a product company you have the opportunity to create path breaking technologies & products. You get to learn and work in diverse areas of Product Development such as core Research, Systems Engineering, Application Engineering, User Experience Design, Product Architecture and Testing & Quality.

Developing ideas, services and products that make life easier for millions of people, and developing ground-breaking software and devices that change entire industries, product development is a place of invention and progressive thinking. Within a software product company, you are able to steadily focus on technology, going deep. Learning is something that you do every day. It is a dream destination for professionals who are hungry to work on cutting edge technologies combined with architectural depth and scale.

Product companies attract the best talent in the industry. This means that you get to work with and learn from a world class team, who are among the best in the industry.  Product companies look for people with technical depth, domain expertise, an inherent creativity, a desire for innovation, and a vision that transcends the immediate requirements of the market. You break down complex technical issues into uncomplicated consumer products.

A place to grow

Most people in technical roles have to make a difficult choice at some point in their careers. Should they stay focused on technology or should they move into a managerial role? In Product Companies, this choice is easier to make. A person with great technical skills & little interest in management can choose to stay & grow on the Technical Path, without having to sacrifice growth or compensation Product development companies offer opportunities to groom you as technical leaders in the company and have the same career growth as your managerial counterparts.

Growth in a product development company can happen in two trajectories – you can either choose to grow on a managerial path or deep dive into technical domains. Deep-dive techies can pursue a future in this industry by championing a particular technology and then becoming a domain expert. With time, as the specialisation in the industry increases, the demand for domain experts is going to rise.

The purpose of a technical ladder is to provide growth opportunities for employees who bring great value to the company through their technical expertise and want to focus their careers on that expertise, rather than build their careers through the management ranks.

This helps the company to develop people with outstanding technical expertise and keep them in roles that is in their area of interest while adding significant value to the organisation. It also provides a parallel growth track for engineers who get recognised for their technical contributions and receive mentoring and support to grow into technical leadership roles.

Work culture and environment - sharing ideas

Product companies embrace the theory that great workplace increases productivity. They endorse a work environment which exemplifies their philosophy, culture and provide their team of innovators, builders and owners an environment that fosters creativity. In order to nurture a dynamic culture, these companies are structured to be less hierarchical, more open, offer greater freedom and empowerment to their people. Ideas are encouraged to surface from every level in the organisation.

The work culture in a product company is highly collaborative. It fosters an environment which is intellectually stimulating and where constant learning and problem-solving is encouraged. Talent being a key differentiator for any company, more so for product development, companies focus on hiring & retaining a pool of innovative and highly-motivated technological leaders and strategic thinkers. From great career paths, global exposure, well planned appraisal cycles, rewards and recognition to workplace flexibility, almost everything is designed for employees to have fulfilling careers.

A career in product development promises unparalleled development opportunities, competitive earning potential and exceptional benefits, including career flexibility and rewards linked to your growth and performance. A career in research & development is both exciting and satisfying. And if you are creative, passionate and innovative, it awaits you!

(The writer is  Vice President - Human Resources, India at Yahoo! )