Elixir has Arrived
Elixir is a programming language that is beginning to gather steam. Originally released in 2011, it is a functional and dynamic and runs on the Erlang VM (Virtual Machine). Elixir is highly scalable and fault tolerant. In other words, Elixir is perfect for today’s software landscape of microservices and cloud computing.
Like many modern programming languages, Elixir’s documentation is easily approachable. The getting started guide provides basics, and some quick googling reveals loads of other examples and tutorials.
Additionally, other architectures, services, and frameworks build upon Elixir. They provide the necessary depth and power to make Elixir a viable choice for enterprise-level software. Some examples include:
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Phoenix – provides for creating REST APIs and HTML applications with Elixir
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Ecto – a database wrapper and query language for Elixir
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ExUnit – Elixir’s unit testing frameworks
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Exq – a job-processing library for Elixir.
Elixir has recently experienced tremendous growth in the software development landscape. According to the following graph from Stack Overflow, Elixir went from almost zero questions in to numbers comparable with Rust and Go by 2018:
One of the exciting benefits of learning an up-and-coming language is there are many eager job opportunities! The strengths of Elixir make it an ideal choice for companies building new web services. In order to turn their dreams into reality, they require coders to work their magic. Read on to learn about some current exciting opportunities in this arena…
Elixir Jobs
Elixir is a hot up and coming language, and here is a short list of some current, exciting employment opportunities for an Elixir developer:
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Senior Elixir Developer, (Toronto, CA) – many software developers start using computers through video games, and to many, this could be the dream job. Getting paid to work with video games?! For a developer looking to work in an exciting field, this opportunity leaps off the page.
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Elixir Software Engineer, Vamp (Sydney, AU) – for those looking for international opportunities, Vamp provides them. While this job is located in Sydney (an incredible city), Vamp also has offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, UAE, London, and NYC. No shortage of international adventure here! Work in the exciting field of digital marketing enablement, and see the world.
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Elixir Software Engineer, Business VPN (Denver, CO and Remote) – Business VPN offers a VPN-based and needs Elixir developers to build out their API and Web assets. is hot, and Denver is beautiful. What’s not to like?
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Backend Engineer, Heetch (Paris, FR and Remote) – Heetch provides ride-sharing functionality in Paris, France, and they’re looking for Elixir developers to build out their backend. Ride sharing is a hot space, full of opportunities to learn how to program at scale, as well as machine learning. Oui!
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Software Engineer (Elixir), TaxJar (San Diego, CA) – TaxJar manages sales tax functionality for more than 15,000 businesses. Gain experience with financial services, work with huge datasets, and continue to build your Elixir chops!
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Bitcoin Engineer, NEX (Vaduz, Liechtenstein and Remote) – If you want to work on a “hot new thing”, it’s hard to do better than Bitcoin engineering. NEX is looking for developers with Elixir experience to build out cryptocurrency trading and payment services. This one lists experience with digital wallets, payment processing, and bitcoin as requirements for the job.
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Software Engineer, HelloSign (San Francisco, CA and Remote) – HelloSign provides business transaction automation (such as Electronic Signatures). They are building their new platforms using Elixir, and are looking for developers to pitch in on the effort.
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Elixir Engineer, Telnyx (Central, LA and Remote) – Telnyx builds voice, data and messaging services. This is the type of application where the Elixir (and Erlang) platforms got their start. If you want to drop into an environment where the scale of transactions is huge and fast, this could be the job you’re looking for!
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Elixir/Phoenix Developer, Thoughtbot (San Francisco, CA) – ThoughtBot builds applications for other customers. Working in an environment such as this could give you exposure to several projects in a short amount of time, rapidly building your Elixir “production environment” chops.
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Senior Software Engineer, Spiceworks (Austin, TX) – Spiceworks produces tools to manage and educate users about IT and is looking for Elixir developers to add to their team. Teaching is often cited as the best method of learning, which would make this job a rocket for your Elixir skills.
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Full Stack Software Engineer, Bowery Farms (New York, NY) – Bowery Farms is automating all aspects of agriculture, and they are looking for Elixir developers to make it happen. Very cool opportunity to integrate sensors and actuators with diagnostic and monitoring software.
Perks
Some benefits of a job can’t be measured by a salary, but can be just as important. Quality health care, support for balance, and other less obvious perks can drastically improve the experience of working at a company. Here are a few common (and not-so-common) perks to be on the lookout for in your job search:
Work/Life Balance
Work can sometimes feel like a affair. Good employers recognize and work to ensure their employees get they need to decompress. Here are some benefits that attempt to address this concern:
Unlimited Vacation
Say goodbye to tracking, counting and hoarding your vacation days! A growing number of companies (such as Microsoft) have moved to unlimited” vacation policy. If you’ve completed your work, and need a break, you take it. This benefit improves one of the most important aspects of work-life balance – getting work out of your head. One potential downside to this policy is some employees feel guilty about their vacation allocation, and take days off. It is important with this policy to manage your vacations appropriately, and ensure you get the decompression time you need.
Parental Leave (sometimes paid!)
Adding a new member to your family is a big deal, and some employers (like Thoughtbot) will give you extra time to be home for the initial adjustment. Some companies will even continue to pay you during this period! This is an incredible perk for people with growing families. Take some initial time after the birth of your child, and begin teaching them the wonders of Elixir.
Sabbaticals
After working years for a company, a short vacation may not be enough to reset the work-life balance. Sometimes in you have to stop and smell the roses. Companies like PayPal offer sabbaticals to give you that space. They are often contingent on having been at the company for a time period (for example, a number of years). They are a powerful way of setting your career aside for a bit, and pursuing travel, and learning new things.
Volunteering
Giving back to the community provides an immeasurable lift to one’s spirits. Some employers (such as Salesforce) recognize and make an effort to initiate and assist. This can take the form of paid time off for an employee to invest time towards a charitable cause. It can also be a company-wide initiative to make a big impact in a short amount of time (such as Habitat For Humanity or food drives).
Health and Wellness
Health and well-being are important for life, and employees tending to these areas are typically happier and feel better. This well-being inspires creativity and productivity, paying off in the long run. Here are some perks that attempt to improve this part of your life:
Good Health Insurance
Providing Health Insurance is usually standard practice in most companies, but there are some employers that go above and beyond. This can include better plans with low deductibles and co-pays. Taking it further, some companies pay for part of the monthly premium. At the extreme, some companies like FactSet cover 100% of healthcare costs, removing this concern completely from their employee’s minds.
Wellness Bonuses
Some employers (like Microsoft) will simply pay you cash for taking care of yourself. Lose those extra pounds and inches, build that exercise routine, get your blood indicators healthy. Measurable results more moolah! While health itself may be the best incentive to develop healthy habits, cold hard cash is a great motivator as well.
Mobile Eye Clinics
In today’s office environment, most workers stare at screens all day. Regular quality eye care is more important than ever. Some companies provide on-site eye care, via 2020 onsite care. 2020’s on-site bus comes right to your office, providing exams for all employees. 2020 has over 300 frame styles to choose from and handles all the paperwork. Incredibly convenient, and removes a tedious thing on your “TODO” checklist.
On-Site Wellness Perks
In addition to eye-care, companies provide a variety of other on-site wellness perks. This can include a wide array of programs, including:
In the long run, employee wellness perks help to save money on health care costs, so both employees AND the companies they work for gain benefits.
Financial Assistance
While competitive salaries are a must when looking for a quality employer, there are some that provide a little extra financial aid to improve the lives of their employees. This can include perks such as:
Donation Matching
People like to help causes close to their hearts, and with donation matching, their employers can magnify the impact of the gift. Employers like AutoDesk match contributions made to charitable causes by their employees. This increases the impact of the gift, and gives the employee a feeling of satisfaction – they’re working for a company that cares.
Retirement Matching
These days, pensions are mainly a thing of the past, and employees are responsible for their own retirement planning. 401ks) are the popular choice for retirement savings, and employers like Amazon will often match contributions up to a certain percentage. Build your nest egg faster!
Pet Insurance
While the topic of health insurance usually involves humans, people often think of pets as members of the family. Providing for a loved pet’s health care can sometimes become expensive. With pet health insurance, employers like WPromoteare reaching a little further, and caring for the “extended family” of their employees.
Educational Assistance
Educational assistance can come in several forms. Student loans are often a large expense for employees (especially those just out of school). Some employers like 2Uwill help pay that debt down over time. Additionally, continued education (good for both the employee AND the employer) can be included as a perk of the job. Take some classes, improve yourself, and the company pays for them.
Travel Stipend
Travel can be a great way to unwind from a demanding job, and some companies like TSheets will even help pay for the trip. Get out and see the world, with your blessing (and assistance)!
Adoption Assistance
Often overlooked when it comes to “family building”, there are some out there working through financial and legal headaches required to adopt a new member of the family. Some employers like LinkedIn have recognized this, and are offering help. This can come in the form of financial or legal help in navigating the maze of paperwork. For those requiring help in this area, an employer recognizing and helping out can provide an incredible lift.
Back To Elixir
If you’ve made it this far, you must be an Elixir-programming, job-hunting, perk-craving machine. With this list of employers and things to look for in your tool belt, you are now prepared to go out there and grab the job market by the horns. Build powerful new web services, and allow your employer to go that extra mile to prove your worth to them. Happy hunting!
derek@scoutapp.com