Last year, something interesting happened in my career. I became a technologist, or at the very least, a technologist in training. After almost 15 years in print publishing and marketing, I moved to StratIS, an Internet of Things (IoT) company, where I’m focused on marketing. It was a big move for me. After more than 9 months, I can clearly say that it is the smartest career decision I ever made.

For those that have never tried it, working for a technology company is unlike any professional experience. When I found myself suddenly searching for a job last May, I reached out to a connection who was running two IoT companies in the East Falls section of Philadelphia.

Before I walked into the office, I had no idea what to expect. At the time I was looking for an opportunity, a job, a paycheck.

Here’s what I found instead:

People who actually value changing the world over EBITDA.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a capitalist and the business side of things is extremely important, but so is the human side of things. I once witnessed our CTO and founder Ryan Buchert decide to move someone from part-time to full-time because they were desperately in need of health insurance.

Places that value creating over dress code.

To quote my coworker Jim Manning, we have “pants days” instead of “dress down” or “jean Fridays.” All this means is that on days when someone we truly respect is coming to the office we try to look professional.

An industry where side hustle is encouraged not feared.

My CEO Felicite Moorman, encourages her employees to embrace their side hustle. In previous industries I’ve worked in, working on side projects in your spare time was extremely frowned upon.

Leaders who work together.

President John F. Kennedy once said “a rising tide lifts all boats.” This has never been more true than in technology. This week our team participated with the group of Philadelphia tech companies at South by Southwest, organized by Amplify Philly. The pride exhibited by these local leaders for the work done in our home City of Philadelphia is inspiring.

Silliness as a sometimes required byproduct of success.

In the cube farms where I used to work, no one would dream of having a Nerf gun war in the middle of the work day. The other day I was filling up at the coffee bar and took a random nerf bullet to the face. Corporate America believes this is an unnecessary distraction. People in the tech world know that recharging and breaks are vital to forward progress.

True respect for leaders.

I will never agree with every single decision a leader makes, but I don’t have to. When you put part of your future in the hands of a visionary you trust that their intentions are coming from the right place which puts them in a position to win for all of us. I have never been able to say this outside of technology.