Junior-Frendzie: Petteri
Petteri (Pete) started at Frends through an internship and summer job as a Junior Integration Developer.
We were delighted to have Petteri with us to learn the wonders of integration development, enabling us to provide junior developers with career paths and work-life skills.
How did your career at Frends start, and what do you do now?
I work at Frends as a Junior Integration Developer. I’m currently studying data science at the University of Helsinki, which is why I work part-time during the academic year. I participated in a recruitment event at the University of Helsinki, which introduced me to HiQ & Frends. Out of interest, I put in an application and soon found myself working with integration.
I mainly implement various processes and interfaces in our integration platform, Frends. These implementations can be pure integrations, but they also include backend implementations for mobile applications, for example. In addition to this, I also do troubleshooting and bug fixing, as well as iterating initial designs to better meet the client's needs. I've also had the chance to implement slightly more complex algorithms with Frends by porting the client's existing implementations from their own system to Frends. Documentation is also part of my job.
Which tools do you use in your work?
Since starting with Frends, I've been introduced to the C# language, which caused some excitement when starting out. With a new programming language and Frends, I have also come to embrace tools designed or customized for .NET, such as Visual Studio. My work has taught me how important a capable text editor (Notepad++) can be and how much it improves one’s quality of life!
Practically all the software I have used in this role has been new to me to some extent.
What have you learned in your work?
In addition to getting familiar with a new programming language and tools, I have deepened my general understanding of computer architecture and telecommunications, among other things. My studies did not cover too much of the telecommunications side of things – the basics were covered, but they were not directly useful at work, although they are not a hindrance. On the other hand, I'm so new to coding that I’m still learning many general things that every coder is expected to know.
The best thing about Frends?
I think our company has a very open-minded attitude towards its employees. The employees are trusted, as are their abilities. At work, it's easy to see how the company genuinely cares about its employees and wants to invest in them. At many workplaces, the situation is not even half as good. Over the past year, I've heard a wide variety of backgrounds of people who have come to work for the company. I can literally say that anyone can become a great Frends employee!
Pete's tips for combining work and study
- Take at least one day off per week. Don't do any work or study stuff at all!
- Work and study calendars, e.g. on your phone, will help you manage your time.
- So what if you don't finish on time? Don't worry too much about your graduation rate; focus on developing yourself and learning new things. Thinking about or aiming for target deadlines while working and studying is relatively unrealistic and can add to your anxiety and sense of inadequacy.
- Working while studying is actually worthwhile and rewarding. After just a few years, you will clearly see the kind of personal growth and confidence in your skills that you will certainly not get elsewhere.