>> I'd also like to find a company where the mission is something other than "Make money". You're going to have a real problem with this particular criteria.

>> I'd also like to find a company where the mission is something other than "Make money". You're going to have a real problem with this particular criteria. I don't think this is problem limited to Chicago, however. I'd recommend getting to know Chicago's start-up and consulting scene, as these are probably the places with varied work and that treat people like more than cogs in a machine. Chicago has a very strong Ruby on Rails community, so it will probably help if you work in that language/platform. Places I'd recommend checking out: Among local startups, Groupon has a really talented staff and is absolutely taking off. Obtiva and Pathfinder are webapp development companies focusing on agile, rails, and RIA. Threadless is in Chicago and has a pretty large national reputation. I know people at all of the above and think any would fit your criteria. That said, Groupon seems to be in a rough stretch where developers work long hours as a result of their rapid growth; Pathfinder and Obtiva might not be hiring due to the economy and Threadless recently lost one of its founders (Jeffrey Kalmikiff) to Digg, which makes me wonder what's going on that would cause him to leave.