Career Steps: Product based company OR Service based company?

Briefly introduction to make it understandable to one and all:
Product: an item that ideally satisfies a market's want or need
Service: provision of assistance to customers or clients, products or projects
The product or service is nothing new and it exists in every domain/space across the industry. Let me take up IT as I am into it. Well I started my career with a product based company. From then on I was fortunate to be associated with innovative products, budding products wherever I go.
While I was having a chat with one of my room mates, who worked with few java based projects there arose a little interesting topic, Product based company OR Service based company.
I just raised the same question with Linkedin community to provide their views as follows:

In IT which is good choice to shape a good career is it in Product based company or Service based company? Please give the pro's of each and also con's (if any!)

Following is the response from Rajesh Tibrewala, in which he covered the answers/views of the rest of people who attempted to answer the question.

It varies from person to a person. What i can share with you is how life in one differs from another:

1. Product Based Companies

You spend a lot more time with the same technologies, same code base, and often the same set of features.
You can never know your customer too well - remember, a product is ultimately an attemp to fit the same shoe to feet of all shapes and sizes (but the alternative is the software industry is - people would need to walk barefeet because turnkey projects are too expensive)
If you work on a successful product for a long period of time, the sense of achievement can be tremendous
Seeing a lot of happy customers is thrilling indeed
There are often comparitively long periods of lull - when the product strategy team is trying to figure out the future roadmap, and the latest release is already out
Often you will end up working on a codebase that noone owns - becuase the product is very old, and none of the original code authors are around. Also, the technology the product is based on could be nearing its death


2. Projects

Often developed from scratch - so you start with a clean slate
You get to know your customer very closely
Fast movement across domains, and often technologies
Direct appreciation by the customer
Often more time pressure compared to product cos

Well I selected this as best suit answer (in my view). Please read here for the rest of answers.


My LinkedIn Profile : http://www.linkedin.com/in/sumanthkrishna

Career Steps: Go by the work and not just by the "BRAND" !

To be frank nobody told me about this, but over the time I understood it. Well the credit goes to my managers and superiors who took special care in teaching me part of industry.

The reason behind the post is, I was at an Engineering college in outskirts of Hyderabad to take a session on Ruby, as part of Open Source talks. Thanks to SWECHA, for giving me the opportunity. Before I started the session I had few questions to the group of 200 odd students so that I can deliver what they are looking for? (Hitting them straight, without wasting my time!).
Interestingly not many of them are aware of any scripting languages, until SWECHA organised series of sessions/talks.
Well during the ruby talk, I did not bug them with usual slides but just directly walked through examples (that kept them awake and attentive through out the session!).
During the Q&A, the usual questions were fired up:

1. What is the future for Ruby?
2. Can Ruby be used for Desktop and Mobile applications?
3. Java vs Ruby?
4. Python vs Ruby?
5. Who are all implementing/working on Ruby?

Let me pick up the 5th question, as rest of questions were answered by many people on various occasions. The actual question they raised was :
Does the company X, Y, Z implementing it?
And then list of few big IT brands started flowing out of them, well I just wondered whether they are looking for the exciting work they will be assigned or just by the "BRAND". Here comes the role of placement officers of the institutes very well to bridge the gap. Occasionally, many groups with industry people visit these colleges to give an exposure and understanding of the industry, current trends, demanding technology/tools...
But what about the colleges that do not get these groups/industry people do not visit?
This is where everyone need play pro-actively in deciding their career based on their interests, knowledge, skills. Students/Freshers should start interacting more with industry people, start gathering/attending to technical/industry forums, discussions and talks.
This kind of socializing will make them understand the reality and they can be prepared for the same and this would help the industry to get skilled people or right attitude people.

As far as I know, Twincling is the one such group with lots of momentum among the student groups, communities, industry that is doing it's role of spreading the awareness. Twincling members are ready to travel length and breadth of Andhra Pradesh (for time being) and conduct workshops for free. Contact the group for more details.