Summer in Solutions 2024 – Code, Collaboration and Growth as a Software Developer Trainee

Let’s introduce you to Eevi and Unna, our software developer trainees at Visma Solutions. Their experiences show what it’s like to start working as software developers, working with SaaS products, how they are growing in their roles and the lessons they’ve picked up during this summer.

Q: First, to introduce yourself, tell a random fact about yourself

Eevi: I love crossword puzzles. Every day I have to play the New York Times word games Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword, or my day is not complete! People often tell me that I give off granny-vibes. 😁

Unna: I collect Moomin stuff and own a dog named Limppu (meaning loaf of bread in English).

Q: How did Visma Solutions catch your interest, and what led you to your current role?

Eevi: Visma Solutions has been very present in my student organisation – even my overalls have a Visma logo on them. The job description for this position caught my eye because it was specifically part of a Trainee Program. As an undergraduate, it felt appealing to start my career with other young people that are in the same boat. I also like the stability in Visma Solutions: rather than working as a consultant, here I only have one product and one team to get familiar with.

Unna: I applied to be in the Trainee program last year when I was first looking for a job but decided to pursue a path with another company. This spring, I had a reason to look into Visma Solutions again and decided that a change is needed, and applied again. I had gotten a good impression of the company from various student events, like excursions, and Koodausta & Kisailua -event, where I got to meet and talk with people from Visma Solutions. Meeting the people, and hearing stories (and getting free food), made me think I would enjoy working here, so the decision to put in my application was fast and easy to do.

Q: What’s your study background?

Eevi: I study Computer Science at the University of Helsinki. I finished my Bachelor’s degree in early 2024 and have since started doing some Master’s studies with Software as my study track. Before 2020 I had no experience in programming and no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up. Past five years have been eye opening and full of learning.

Unna: I study at LUT university, a Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering. I’m starting my fifth year next fall.

Q: Describe your position and what a typical day as a trainee looks like to you at Visma Solutions

Eevi: My job title is Software Developer Trainee and I work for Maventa product. Maventa is an e-invoicing operator, we handle invoice- and document exchanging between different entities.

My mornings always start with a “Daily” or “Planning” -meeting with the team. We go through urgent things, milestones for the week and decide who will work on what. The rest of the day usually consists of development tasks, investigative work, problem case solving and meetings. I get a lot of freedom in deciding what I want to work on. Our team does most things together, so sometimes my work day is just looking at someone else’s screen, listening, discussing and asking questions. Of course, I have gotten individual tasks as well and these have been the most valuable for learning.

Unna: I’m a Software Developer Trainee working for Severa (a Professional Services Automation (PSA) tool that helps to manage all aspects of project management in one software.) My focus is front-end development, so I mostly work on UI (User Interface). I’m based in Lappeenranta and work partly remotely because of my puppy. My plan is to work in the office more after she can manage being alone without making my whole apartment a mess. 🥴

My typical day consists of a daily meeting to check up on everyone’s progress/blockers, doing my work aka coding, and sometimes attending various meetings. At my coffee break, I usually take my dog outside for a short walk.

Most memorable moment for me has to be the day when I deployed my first self-made feature to production. That felt like achieving something big

Q: How has your trainee period matched your expectations?

Eevi: One thing that has surprised me positively is the amount of cooperation in my team. My CS studies have mostly been independent work with only a few teamwork courses in between. It’s nice to have a team backing you up in everything that you do. Discussions and knowledge sharing meetings take a surprisingly big portion of the work day. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to work together remotely.

Unna: Having previous work experience as a developer made it easy to know what to expect, setting up environments and getting to know how things work around here. I started a bit earlier in April as a part timer so it was a soft landing. One thing that surprised me was having to learn to work on a Mac computer and swallow my pride as an Apple-hater.😄

Q: What has been the best thing about your summer as a trainee?

Eevi: Most memorable moment for me has to be the day when I deployed my first self-made feature to production. That felt like achieving something big. Overall, the best thing has been the feeling that I’m learning a lot at a rapid speed. I knew nothing about e-invoicing when I jumped on the team and understood maybe 5% of discussions during the first weeks. But since the beginning, I have been treated as any other member of the team (with extra assistance when needed of course), which is nice.

Unna: Best thing has been all the people I’ve met and how nice, inclusive and supportive everyone has been.

Visma Solutions on Suomen johtava pilvipalveluiden toimittaja. Ratkaisujamme käyttää kansainvälisesti jo yli 170 000 yritystä. Missiomme on auttaa suomalaisia yrityksiä olemaan kilpailukykyisiä.