A list of companies I would work for

Preamble

Through the years I made a list of companies matching what I want to do.

Disclaimer: I am fine with my job right now :)

A list of attractive companies

I find Zotero goals more than noble. The software helps researchers to organitze sources. I used it for my Bachelor- and Master-thesis. Registering sources and citing them worked well with LibreOffice.

I would work for my email provider. They have a good marketing for sure, nice shortcuts in the UI and sane roots. The main privacy-focused argument is a killer. They service is efficient and I receive my mails well in the UI. They are expanding in the same direction as the Google services but privacy focus. Their business model relies on the users and their abonnements. It is sound. Protonmail is quite attractive.

Similar to email service, the cloud service is another interesting domain for me. pCloud is also focused on privacy, with affordable 99-year offers when discounts are available. It’s an investment in “one’s” digital self. The self-hosting paradigm does not work well for everyone and pCloud, even if the best is still self-hosting, and still…

A high-quality web service is attractive to me. Typeform is building an efficient form builder. I used their product and I found the experience awesome. It is not boring, but smooth. I only scratched the surface but I am sure they are building in the right direction. My opinion is several years old though.

While I was searching for a stage, I stumbled upon the The Guardians project at MIT. The project’s goals are to “help people improve their lives using the power of mobile games and in-game rewards”. I found it similar to . Their illustrations, apps and lore is attractive and healthy. Why not :)

UX is important to me. I came aware of the UX lab Usabilis. They provide UX consulting in digital ergonomics. The users should be able to use the web and technologies well. This company works for it.

Accessibility is also a must! There are also Access42 and Atalan for it. They specialize in accessibility and I want to become an expert in this field, in order to develop accessible products and services. It’s a pretty important subject, ignored by mainstream digital products. As regulations progress, accessibility becomes mandatory. There’s a lot of work to be done! This work is useful as fuck.

Startups or “company that promise high-value” can be in this scope. For example, [l’Incubateur Lorrain] lists some of these companies with useful purposes. Providing high value to people (even a niche) is a good fit for me. I mean something to really improve their lives. We also need (well-thought-out innovations) innovations to face ecological challenges, even if it means using wood. It is still innovation.

Ok. I think these 9 organisations are a good starting point.

What I want from a job

In the previous list, I only justified myself by the objectives and motivation behind “why they make money with their products”. If I had to choose one, the main reason would be social usefulness, as well as the salary and benefits associated with the job.

In France, I couldn’t see myself earning minimum wage. I’m a bit sad to admit but also true. I want a standard, being able to afford a home and don’t worry too much about daily expenses. The rest is fine :)

Ok so social usefulness, a reasonable salary and benefits. Is there other things I expect from a job?

My work should have impact. It has meaning. It helps people. It’s non-negotiable. The companies listed above tick these boxes.

The home office is a real convenience. Ideally, it’s possible to go into the office from time to time, or it’s genuinely possible to talk to people at a distance. An organisation where life is good. Other animals are welcome.

The members of the organisation want to live together, respecting each other’s wishes and needs.

If a company match this list, I could work for it. Here’s my quick thoughts as of May 2024.