The Bitwise Bootcamp concept has been awarded in the Responsible Summer Job campaign and has received special mention for the most innovative summer job practices. Approximately 10 – 15 software industry students are annually accepted to Bootcamp. The Bootcampers are placed in customer projects, and alongside work they participate in experts’ lessons. This summer, experienced Bitwisers organised training related to e.g. the following topics: clean code, TDD, UX/UI, functional programming and sales work in the software industry. Summer at Bitwise means a suitable ratio of work and experiences.
Antti, a 2018 Bootcamper, writes the following about his past summer:
Once upon a time, there was a time when I found it necessary to apply for work. I was interested in all type of programming and I wanted to find a place, where I could implement my coding obsessions as diversely as possible. I was almost a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering, but I decided to transfer to Information Technology for the Masters stage at TTY. Signal processing, machine learning and merged systems would form an important part of my studies at the final stage, so I thought to myself: “what would be a place I would like to go to”. Then I remembered! I had already dreamed of applying to Bitwise for several summers, whose marketing had made me a victim of advertising. Promises of a pleasant workplace, where you could code, and where you are encouraged to finish your studies with flexible working hours, were extremely attractive. In addition to this, Bootcamp sounded like the perfect stepping stone towards a career as a keyboard tapper. I sent in my application, attended an interview, and it wasn’t long before I signed a contract. That’s when all the fun began.
On the first day, I arrived at the courtyard of my future job with a lot of tension. I realised I was on the wrong side, so I went around to the other side of the building. For a moment, I panicked and thought about what had been agreed, and so I decided to call the HR lady to avoid any confusions. Soon I was sitting on a sofa with a scary, but also mellow-looking man next to me. This man would become my new colleague – a very good one. A third future colleague also joined us, and the orientation was able to start.
I had already dreamed of applying to Bitwise for several summers, whose marketing had made me a victim of advertising.
I was given a coffee mug with my name right at the beginning, and I had the feeling I was genuinely wanted here. After the basics, the setup of a development environment and a flood of questions to the educator began. All three of started in the same project, which greatly settled my panic. The day went by quickly while familiarising in tools and project practices, and the workplace wasn’t at all scary after all. The next day, I had a pleasant and relaxed feeling to arrive at the workplace and start working.
Bootcamp’s traditional Kesävitkutin project was started at the beginning of June, at which time I had already been working for a couple of months. At the beginning of the project, we organised ourselves according to areas of responsibility and I managed to try out the duties of a project manager alongside a few other colleagues. Kesävitkutin was extremely educational, and also allowed us to acquaint ourselves with employees that had attended Bootcamp and were working in other teams. My understanding of software projects and their successful implementation increased significantly.
What happens after Bootcamp
Luckily the challenges don’t seem to end even at the end of the summer, because I have considered to stay and learn more alongside my studies. The best part about my job is that I have the opportunity to solve problems that I haven’t solved before, and I am continuously able to develop in programming. At the same time, I have also learnt a programming language that is new to myself. I am also extremely pleased that if I ever get bored of my current work duties or I no longer have challenges, I can always go and talk about the matter. New duties are organised according to the needs of employees within the company.
My best realisation about this summer is that it is possible to have fun at work. A relaxed atmosphere, good colleagues and a professional approach are important elements. Of course, there are occasional bad days, but if you genuinely enjoy your work, those bad moments will not matter. My long-term objective is that my CV will include skills for such a comprehensive amount of technologies that I won’t be able to list them without a cheat list. Bitwise makes it possible and I aim to get the most out of it.