According to the poll conducted by Mail.ru Technopark and Smart Start company, at least 49 % of young Russian coders plan to work in Russia. Only 11% want to leave for the USA and even less (about 6%) spoke about moving to Germany. Apart from choosing a country the young specialists also need such things as comfortable work environment like at large IT companies. More than 80% of future specialists would choose companies that offer free food for their employees. This is more attractive for them than an opportunity to work remotely, which seems was preferable to only 7%.
Thus it is very important for 92% of IT students that the company is ready to assist them in their professional development. Most coders prefer casual style rather than office clothes. Only 4% like classic suits.
Speaking of workplace accommodations, a good many programmers dream about a gym and a chill out room. The idea of a workplace where one can also live makes them vote for a shower (48%) and a swimming pool (30%). Some also said that they would like to have such options as physician’s and psychologist’s service and a massage room as well.
Research VS Coding
According to Daniil Chivilikhin, researcher at Computer Technology Chair, a comfortable office, unlimited snacks and gym are not the only things programmers need. Having graduated from the Chair in 2012 Mr. Chivilikhin received a Bachelor’s degree and then was hired by Mail.Ru. Back then the office of Mail.Ru looked quite simple. The only extra benefits its’ employees had was unlimited coffee and cookies. However, the main reason of for his working there was an opportunity to solve tasks related to big data. Furthermore, Daniil got the chance to work part-time and at the same time continue his studying for his Master’s program. Apart from that, his salary was very high for a newcomer without any experience in this field. He also enjoyed the team work and his boss.
However, in a year he decided to stop working there: “Despite wonderful conditions I made up my mind to change this job so as to learn how to solve more complicated tasks. My research activity at ITMO University influenced me. Guided by my supervisor Anatoly Shalyto I stared writing articles and making presentations at conferences. After realizing that science captures me more than programming I left Mail.Ruand got a position of a lab researcher at the Chair where I’ve been working since. I have never regretted about my decision because research activities give a free hand.”
Comparing Jobs
Maria Baburina and Sergei Kesarev, JetBrains’s programmers, note that they agree with the overall statistics. Sharing her experience, Maria noted that currently there are many successful IT companies in Russia. They provide young specialists with all the necessary opportunities such as internship programs for students and interesting tasks for newcomers who can gain new useful skills in various fields as well. Russian programmers are also offered comfortable accommodations, private healthcare insurance and various financial compensations.
“Fortunately I work at JetBrains, which combines all these services and opportunities. It has retained startup enthusiasm and added high-grade infrastructure. Furthermore, here we can upgrade our skills by attending courses and also work out at the gym. Every year JetBrains organizes a hackathon, participants of which can gather teams together from the ground up and develop their own projects. I am happy to be a part of the JetBrainscommunity,” said Maria Baburina, graduate student of Department of Natural Sciences.
Sergei Kesarev, Maria’s colleague and ITMO University Master’s student, want to leave Russia after his graduation so as to compare working in different countries and gain international experience.
The illusion of a high-paying job
Boris Minaev, Master’s student of School of Computer Technologies and Controls and ACM ICPC-2015 champion, who now works as a developer at Vkontakte is realistic about high-paying jobs at international companies. “A wage seems high until you take into account living expenses and taxes abroad,” notes the coder. Boris doesn’t want to leave Russia because his family and friends live here. “The most crucial point for me when I decide where to work is that I can create new solutions rather than do some typical coder’s tasks. That is why I work at Vkontakte. We develop a service for a hundred million users,” - underlines the programmer.
