Why is big-business software development boring?

Enterprise may be my least favorite word. Software by itself isn’t a bad word; even application is OK. But drop that e-word on the front, and it triggers visions of relational databases, insurance IDs, and HIPAA disclaimers.

Enterprise is like supercenter. Neither has a smidge of appeal or charm. Lurking behind both of those words is another personal favorite: corporate. “Enterprise software” is coded — not written — by MCSDs in golf shirts, Dockers, and ID lanyards. Did I just describe any of you? Or did I describe the cube-mate whose eyes glaze over whenever you hold forth about the advantages of Linux, or why you love your iPod?

I don’t want to work for an enterprise. Maybe I have a Peter Pan complex. Maybe I’m stuck in the ’90s, when no technology firm was complete without espresso machine, track lighting and ping-pong table. My first job out of college was like that — for a while, anyway. Then the investors showed up.

This really isn’t a rant against Big Software. There are big companies that I’d love to work for. Software development can be fun and creative and lucrative. And we all know work can’t be fun all the time; after all, someone has to make sure those insurance IDs are formatted properly. I’ve worked with people who love those small details, and I’ve worked with others to whom it’s just a job. Write your code, fix your bugs, run your tests, setup the receptionist’s email — and leave it behind after your eight hours are up. Good for you, if that’s how you want to spend one-third of your life. I’d rather work for, and with, people who do what they do because they believe they have a shot at changing their world.

No, if this is a rant, it’s against the typical corporate attitude towards software development. I interviewed once at one of the local big boys. The programmers were sitting in rows of tables five deep, with less personal space than the typical college computer lab. I almost ran out of the room screaming. “Career development” means taking a test and getting a certificate to hang on your cube wall. If you’d rather add Rails instead of WebSphere to your skill set, you’re probably out of luck. The prevailing attitude is that developers — or, more generally, knowledge workers — are resources, not artists or craftsmen. Until that attitude changes, you aren’t likely to find me working at any of the larger companies in town.

So welcome to the world of the Startup Junkie. I’m working at my third small technology company, and — if enough people read this — I just might try starting my own someday. That’s really the only sure way to keep your startup from becoming an enterprise. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that small tech companies want to be big tech companies when they grow up.

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