[Phoenix-fire]

Other than the traditional FAANG answers, what companies do you think a mid level programmer should aim to work for?

[Geilonisch]

I think when you will program sth for a company should try it at google

[thundereder9t8y]

I think when you will program sth for a company should try it at google

OP clearly stated other than FAANG. Anyways, pharmas are always good, and always looking for new engineers, company wise though? No idea, there's too many. JNJ, AZ, Merck, etc. You can do financials but I think you'll kill yourself first than anything.

[Jbcbj]

I think you are asking the wrong question.

Don’t look to work for a company just because of the name.

Look to work for a company according to what they do and your interests.

An example would be, you might enjoy playing guitars, and you could program for the Gibson company for their websites or something.

Do this instead, google search your interests and hobbies, find the best brand in those, specific industries or item/products. 
Go to their hr page or careers page, or look up who develops their websites, or code, and you could find a company that way.

[thundereder9t8y]

^ very strong response, and I agree.

[olichan12]

If you want some good programming to do, and want as little micromanagement as humanly possible, I would suggest working for a major military-industrial complex company, like Lockheed-Martin or Boeing. There's so much programming work available that you'll never lack for work, and you might get to work on something like the F-35 computer system, or maybe get into the black projects that the public doesn't know about. And each of these defense contractors have their own cybersecurity/hacking divisoin, so you could get tasked with writing new hacking software. Wiki has a list of MIC contractors here: https: // en (dot) wikipedia (dot) org /wiki/ List_of_defense_contractors .

Alternatively, you could go work for Honda, Toyota, or some other car manufacturer. Every car coming out now has more complex programming than anyone thought possible even a decade ago. It's to the point that you can't troubleshoot a car by listening to it, but have to use the computer only. Plus, each generation of car seems to get one or two major updates that consumers can purchase, so you could end up working on older cars or newer ones.

One way or another, OP, you need to figure out what you WANT to do. As @Jbcbj said, find a company that does things that interests you. I just gave you a list of things you can do. Figure out what you want to do, and then figure out what companies work in that area. Then you'll know who to apply to. Good luck, OP. I pray that you don't get into a woke company, or have to deal with female bosses or programmers.

[thundereder9t8y]

^ using that example, and I'll use LHM because I know several people that works there, you'll realize that you'll be working on a project that spans for years, and then only to realize most of the people are gone, and you're doing the legacy code cleanup.

[olichan12]

you'll realize that you'll be working on a project that spans for years, and then only to realize most of the people are gone, and you're doing the legacy code cleanup.

I think NASA still has guys that know COBOL, because they have a number of pieces of legacy equipment floating around in space that they still use, and their hardware doesn't allow for installation of new operating systems. Hell, nearly every single major bank has legacy server farms that run on COBOL that deal with international transfers. And not a single one of them know how to transfer all that code onto a modern Linux or Windows server because there aren't many people that know COBOL anymore.

Programmers never lack for work. They just get outbid by pajeets, or get fired by blue-haired Karens in HR that have nothing better to do than fire all the males and then hired a bunch of females who can't program to fix their software problems.

[thundereder9t8y]

^ you want old as shit software? Banking is one of the oldest in the country, similarly, hospital sites.

[lightspeedwin]

Having worked with lots of different types of companies I'd say try to find something that is creative and industry. The most soul-sucking programming jobs for me were banks and utility companies. But I've had more fun with entertainment and education. Find a company where you get to work with designers and other leaders because as distracting as that can sometimes be, it makes it more meaningful so you're not just cranking out stuff.

Finance/banks and big tech are the ones where you're just cranking out stuff like a machine.

You do learn some skills, but people tend to be jerks.

[thisisatest1234321]

I guess google

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Or Microsoft

[JustBrows1]

I honestly think consulting companies are good even though the churn rate is high. You get to experience alot of projects.