“I was interested in all kinds of programming and wanted to find a place where I could indulge my coding obsessions as widely as possible.”
Who? Antti – a computer science student at Tampere University of Technology (TUT) who took part in Bootcamp in summer 2018. He now works in data analytics at Wisehockey. Antti tells the story of his summer in his own words.
“I was interested in all kinds of programming and wanted to find a place where I could indulge my coding obsessions as widely as possible”
Once upon a time, I felt the need to find a job. I was interested in all kinds of programming and wanted to find a place where I could indulge my coding obsessions as widely as possible. I'd almost finished my bachelor's in electrical engineering, but I'd decided to switch to computer science for my master's at TUT. Signal processing, machine learning and embedded systems were going to play a big part in the final stage of my studies, so I thought to myself: “Where might be a nice place to go?” Then I remembered! For several summers I'd been dreaming of applying to Bitwise, whose marketing had turned me into a willing victim of advertising. The promise of a pleasant workplace where you get to code, and where flexible hours encourage you to finish your studies, was very tempting. On top of that, Bootcamp sounded like just the right springboard for a career as a keyboard tapper. I sent in my application, went to an interview, and before long I was signing a contract. That's when the fun began.
My first working day had arrived, and I pulled up outside my future workplace feeling very nervous. I realised I was on the wrong side, so I walked round to the other side of the building. For a moment I panicked about what had been agreed, and decided to give the HR lady a ring to avoid any confusion. Soon I was sitting on a sofa next to a scary- yet gentle-looking man. This man would become my new colleague – and a very good one at that. A third future colleague joined us, and the onboarding could begin.
For several summers I'd been dreaming of applying to Bitwise, whose marketing had turned me into a willing victim of advertising.
Right at the start, I was given a coffee mug with my name on it, and I got the feeling they genuinely wanted me here. After the basics came setting up the development environment and a flood of questions for the person onboarding me. All three of us started on the same project, which eased my panic a lot. The day flew by exploring the tools and the project's practices, and the place wasn't scary at all. By the next day, I already felt light and relaxed coming in to work and getting started.
Bootcamp's traditional Kesävitkutin project kicked off at the beginning of June, by which time I'd already been working for a couple of months. At the start of the project, we organised ourselves by areas of responsibility, and I got to try my hand at being project manager alongside a few colleagues. Kesävitkutin was really educational, and it was also how I got to know the other Bootcampers working in other teams. My understanding of software projects and how to deliver them successfully grew enormously.
What happens after Bootcamp
Luckily, the challenges don't seem to be running out even now, at the end of the summer, as I'm planning to stay on and keep learning alongside my studies. The best thing about my job is getting to solve problems I've never solved before and constantly getting better at programming. Along the way, I've also picked up a programming language that was new to me. It also really warms my heart that if I ever get bored with my current tasks or run out of challenges, I can always go and talk about it with an easy mind. New kinds of tasks are arranged within the company to suit the employee's needs.
My biggest insight from this summer is that work has to be fun. A relaxed atmosphere, good colleagues and a professional approach are all important. Sure, you have bad days sometimes, but if you genuinely enjoy your work, the bad moments don't bother you one bit. My long-term goal is to have such a wide range of technologies on my CV that I can't list them without a cheat sheet. Bitwise makes that possible, and I intend to make the most of it.