Meet the Maker: Rasmus

Rasmus Lempinen had studied at TUT for four years when it was time for one of the final, larger courses: the three-period project work course. Rasmus’ team consisted of six people, all of whom were already familiar with Knowit. The project topic offered by the company seemed interesting, and when there was relevant expertise in the group in addition to direct contact at Knowit, the choice was easy.

The team was tasked with developing a web-based Newbie Maker app to help new employees’ start at the company. In the past, new employees had received a paper with a list of tasks to do.

"A bit of antique technology for an IT company", Rasmus says with a laugh.

The project course team built a to-do list app where new employees can see their tasks and supervisors can track their progress. Because the course is one of the last of the degrees, many of the students are already working in the field at that point. Rasmus was the only one on his team who didn’t have a job yet. “A loose piece”, he deadpans.

Knowit seized the opportunity and offered Rasmus an internship in the spring after the course. As an intern, Rasmus was able to further develop Newbie Maker. The application itself was basically ready, but not ready for proper use. Rasmus worked on the app throughout the summer of 2019.

That autumn Rasmus stayed working two days a week through his final year of study. After completing his thesis, Rasmus started working full-time.

Member of an agile client team

Already while working part-time, Rasmus had started in one of Knowit's customer projects. At first, he was still also working as a tech lead for NewbieMaker, but soon realised he had to dedicate his time to one thing, and chose the customer project. The collaboration practices with that customer are based on high performing and scalable Agile software teams.

The team Rasmus works in is quite tight, as there are only three members. Rasmus is another of the team’s full-stack developers. He works with “basic front-back stuff” such as React, Node.js, TypeScript and Redux. The other two team members go to the office almost every day, but Rasmus enjoys working from home.

"My home setup is starting to be pretty good, so it is great to work from home. I go to the office on Fridays to greet my colleagues", Rasmus says.

Maker of the Future looks ahead to sustainability

Information technology has always interested Rasmus. Through gaming, interest expanded to how everything works.

"Pretty typical story. I feel like I'm in the right field", I like it here.

Rasmus still plays every now and then, but sports have become a more beloved hobby. During the winter months, he wakes up already at six in the morning on four weekdays to go to the gym next door. After that, he still has time to start and finish the working day early. Rasmus praises the freedom and flexibility of work offered by Knowit. During the summer, he might take a break in the middle of the day and go to the skate ramp next to his home to practise. Sometimes Rasmus works a longer day to be able to start his weekend earlier.

When asked about proposals for improvement, Rasmus jokes about starting Knowit's own skate club and setting up a remote office in some nice, warm country. Seriously, however, he is very pleased with his employer and especially with how much his technical skills have developed.

"In school you somewhat learn certain things in certain frames, but you can’t even compare that with what you learn at work. My skills have gone through the roof. In addition to technical skills, I have learned patience – things don’t happen as fast in the real world as you might think at school."

Makers of the Future, like Rasmus, always keep an eye on what’s to come. He is glad that Knowit’s attitude towards modern technologies is positive. Rasmus hasn’t run into any legacy solutions, which can be a hindrance in IT projects.

"In the post-covid future, working from home, at least in the IT field, will be even more normal. As a result, the demand and need for stable and functional co-working platforms such as Microsoft Teams is growing. Also, the more work is done online, the more important it is that information moves securely and internet connections are solid. The emphasis on sustainability and sustainable operations will certainly also increase further in the IT field. In this aspect, Knowit is already riding the wave", Rasmus concludes.