How I became the most valuable worker for my (small)company
TL;DR: do more than you are asked for. Do your best.
I started working in the company I am talking about in the end of 2017. Since then, I left to work on two other companies, and after about 1 year they recontacted me because they were in need of programmers due to new projects coming in and I accepted the job.
How it all began
When I started working back in the company, I had my mindset changed from what was normal to me, it is not like I decided to change, it just happened.
I needed to rewrite an old project, and my idea was: ok, if im going to write everything from scratch. I am going to make it the best way I can do it, not just for this project, but for everything from now on.
And that is what I did. I looked into getting every detail perfectly. I did every detail the best it could be done. I did what they asked me, and added things they did not even know they wanted! I worked really hard, and most important, as a developer, I feel I need to say this: what the customer wants matters more than the good code. What do I mean by this? That you need to fuck the project with bad code because of a feature? No no no, no. What I mean is that, yes, if you can (and I know you can) add another if statement that you really did not want to add, and make the final product better, do it, just do it.
And they fucking loved it. Our costumers and my boss loved it. That is when I felt it all started, by boss recognized what I could do, not only that, he (long term) recognized I could create do anything, not because he felt he could use or abuse my capacities, but because trusted in me, or in other way, he finally saw the value I could bring to the table. He know I can do it, and he will always take my cents before any decision.
The good
You win some perks with all this value. It is easier to negotiate salary since they will need you more than you will need them.
Also, If you have a good relationship with people, you will be recommended very easily, so you will never be missing job opportunities.
You will work the way you want, not the way they want. Want to work from home? Fine. Want to work a little less today? Fine. Bonus money at the end of the month? We will see what we can do for you.
It is your game. You can do the way you will find yourself being more productive. This happens because they believe on your work. Even more than you do.
The bad
There are some downsides too. Sometimes you will need to stay a bit longer because oh well, only you can do this, or you is the one they believe will do this better.
You may feel bad leaving them. If you find a better opportunity, you can feel bad because you know deep inside they really need you, and they probably will be fucked if they lose you, and you should not, but I can assure, you will feel bad.
Conclusion
I think its worth. As an experience, it is worth it. You probably will not want to keep this position for long, or in every other company, but it is definitely a good position to be in at least once, because it will open your eyes for things you can not really see while in your comfort zone.