The four future developers are about to try out three different technical projects over the course of one year. After some welcoming days at our headquarter in Oslo, they’ve headed to their new desks, roles and teammates – most likely thriving already. A warm welcome!
Alexandra Olaru
“I’d love to have one of the projects related to the artificial intelligence area, because I’m really passionate about it”
Who: Alexandra Olaru (21), Romania (and the Netherlands)
Studied: Bachelor of Computer Science and Engineering at Delft University of Technology
Welcome to Visma, Alexandra! What have your first few days at Visma been like?
“The first days have been amazing, my expectations were completely exceeded. We had a full schedule, with different types of events, incorporating introduction to Visma as a business and as a software company, as well as social activities. One of the most surprising facts is the way people manage to connect and keep everything as a unit, while offering a lot of freedom to each company. Analysing the first weeks, I’m confident that this year will be great and I’ll achieve my goals, as well as getting the opportunity to discover new aspects of both the tech field and the company.”
What made you want to be a Visma Tech Trainee?
“From the first moment I heard about the programme, I was sure that this is the perfect plan for myself after I graduate. The main aspect of the programme, which amazed me, was the possibility to interact with numerous people, with different backgrounds and experiences. Also, I heard from other people who already work for Visma that the company provides a great environment for developing both on the professional and personal level, a fact that strengthened my choice.”
How did you know you wanted to work in tech?
“I’ve always been passionate about the tech field and science, being exposed to science and new technologies since I was a child, because my parents work in this field. During my pre-university school, I took part in numerous projects and competitions related to computer science. Beside my passion for computer science, I’m interested in mathematics and I believe that the tech field combines the informatics, engineering and mathematics domains.”
Can you tell us a little bit about your first project?
“My first project will be in the Netherlands, at Visma Proactive, a company in Haarlem. I’ll be part of the backend team, working with the PHP migration and API integration. I’ve already discussed with people involved in the project and everyone was helpful, providing me useful information before I’ll start working. My main goals are to understand how the company and their product work, as well as to integrate in the team. Also, I aim to apply my previous knowledge and to improve both my technical and the personal skills, trying to provide quality work and to learn from more experienced people.”
Last, for the million dollar question. What are three things on your bucket list?
“It seems hard to choose only three, but I think that one of them is to discover Norway and the Nordic countries. I’m fascinated by Oslo and the culture here, so I’d love to explore more of Scandinavia and its culture. Furthermore, I’d like to travel to the USA and Switzerland because I think these states can offer a different social and cultural experience. Lastly, I’m planning to explore more cities in Italy.”
Arsen Ekinci
“My first days at Visma have been amazing! Though really busy, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of working at the Oslo office with my fellow trainees”
Who: Arsen Ekinci (22), the Netherlands
Studied: Bachelor of Computer Science and Engineering at Delft University of Technology
Welcome to Visma, Arsen! What have your first few days at Visma been like?
“They’ve been amazing! Though really busy, I’ve enjoyed all aspects of working at the Oslo office with my fellow trainees. What surprised me the most was how down to earth everyone here is. I’ve always had a certain image of hierarchy in offices being a huge thing, but here at Visma you could be having lunch next to Merete, the CEO, or bump into Steffen, the CCO, whilst grabbing a cup of tea. My expectations were quite high, after talking to people working at Visma before coming to the Oslo office, but they have still all been blown away. I think this year will still be full of many more surprises and opportunities.”
What made you want to be a Visma Tech Trainee?
“My university hosts a week of something called ‘The Career Days’, which essentially is an opportunity for students to talk to a couple of companies that have caught their interest. One of the companies that I talked to was Visma Yuki, which initially caught my attention because of their product and general atmosphere. I was quickly informed of a brand new Tech Trainee programme, and it caught my attention right away. What made me choose the programme was the ability to try out different fields of interests at different companies to really explore all opportunities at Visma.
How did you know you wanted to work in tech?
“It’s something I discovered during my academic career. Though I’ve always had an affinity with technology, I actually started my academic career at Erasmus MC, a medical school located in Rotterdam. I quickly realised that I didn’t want to spend six years of my life trying to memorise theoretical knowledge and quickly made a drastic switch to Computer Science and Engineering in Delft. Ever since then I’ve definitely known I wanted to work in tech.”
Can you tell us a little bit about your first project?
“My first project will be at Visma Nmbrs, which is a company based in both Amsterdam and Lisboa. The company’s main focus is in Human Resources and payroll processing, but I’ll be working on a framework that will allow Visma applications to be easily integrated into other applications as add-ons. During this project, I’ll be working in one of the existing development teams at Nmbrs, called Squad Core. As this is a really big and complicated project, my main goal is to learn as much as I can about the underlying frameworks, languages and development techniques, and most importantly have some fun!”
Last, for the million dollar question. What are three things on your bucket list?
“Now that’s a hard question! Most of the things on my bucket list are travelling related. During my visit to Oslo, I really fell in love with Norway and would like to come back by car to explore nature more. I’ve heard that there are a bunch of outdoor climbing boulders in the forests around Oslo, so I’ll definitely have to come back for those. Next up on my list is something I’ve wanted to do ever since I was a child, which is to visit Japan and to really explore the country. Lastly, I’d really like to go diving in the ocean. I’m not sure yet how or where, but the deep sea really intrigues me and experiencing it through diving is a big dream of mine.”
Jenna Rantanen
“I’ve met a lot of cool people – and I can confirm that friendly people and a relaxed atmosphere seem to be common themes in the Visma offices!”
Who: Jenna Rantanen (22), Finland
Studied: Bachelor of Theoretical Computer Science at University of Helsinki
Welcome to Visma, Jenna! What have your first few days at Visma been like?
“My first days have been really nice! I’ve met a lot of cool people – and I can confirm that friendly people and a relaxed atmosphere seem to be common themes in the Visma offices! My expectations were blown by the vast variety of topics we learned about. Overall the first few weeks have been a really positive experience and I’m excited to see what else the coming year brings!”
What made you want to be a Visma Tech Trainee?
“I first heard about the programme when scrolling through my school’s job portal. The name Visma caught my eye. I had visited the office in Helsinki before, and both the people and the overall atmosphere had left me with a very positive picture of Visma as a workplace. On top of that, I felt like the Tech Trainee programme was a perfect opportunity to experiment different areas of development and find the area that fits me the best.”
How did you know you wanted to work in tech?
“I’ve always liked maths and problem solving, but it wasn’t until university that I figured I wanted to work in tech. In fact, I first went to university to study mathematics. They happened to offer programming courses at the same campus, so I applied. Mostly because ‘it would be kinda cool to know how to code’! I ended up liking it and wanted to learn more.”
Can you tell us a little bit about your first project?
“I’ll be working on a project called Tiima in Helsinki. Tiima is a work shift management tool used for planning shifts and tracking work time. It’s currently having a new shift planning tool implemented. I’ll be part of doing that. My plan is to work hard, learn as much as possible and do my very best!”
Last, for the million dollar question. What are three things on your bucket list?
“First on my bucket list is to travel to Japan. I’ve been fascinated by Japanese culture for years and travelling there has been a dream of mine ever since I was a child. Another travelling related item on the list, that was added recently, is discovering nature in Norway. I’m a big nature person and visiting Oslo made me want to see more of Norway! Lastly on my list is getting a cat.“
Elias Estensen
“I’ll develop a tracing functionality that will be used to understand the resulting payroll calculation in a debug or support situation”
Who: Elias Estensen (22), Sweden
Studied: Masters of Science in Engineering Physics at University of Uppsala
Welcome to Visma, Elias! What have your first few days at Visma been like?
“The first few days have been amazing, with lots of impressions. I’d say my expectations were high, but I was still positively surprised. I was especially surprised by how friendly everyone was and enjoyed the relaxed and professional atmosphere. The introduction has been great, and I’m looking forward to this year, which I believe will be fun, challenging, and rewarding.”
What made you want to be a Visma Tech Trainee?
“The first time I heard about the Tech Trainee programme at my university. After speaking to a Visma employee and reading about Visma, I felt that the company seemed interesting as a potential future employer. I decided to apply for the programme since it felt like a great opportunity to try out different roles within several different projects before using that experience to decide what I want to work with afterward.”
How did you know you wanted to work in tech?
“I’ve always enjoyed maths and logic, but it was first at university that I realised that I wanted to work in tech. The vast opportunities and the realisation of what can be accomplished with a computer really got me interested!”
Can you tell us a little bit about your first project?
“I’ll be a part of Visma Enterprise AB, which are currently working on replacing their payroll engines from the 80’s and 90’s. My role will mainly be as a backend developer. I’ll develop a tracing functionality that will be used to understand the resulting payroll calculation in a debug or support situation. The engine uses different configurations for different situations and is very dynamic and complex. The project will be challenging, but I plan on doing my best and supplying useful input when possible.”
Last, for the million dollar question. What are three things on your bucket list?
“Difficult question, but here are a few things I have in mind: First of all, I’d like to live somewhere where it’s possible to ski a lot, as this is something that I want to start doing again. Secondly, I’d like to learn to play the harp, as I’ve always been fascinated by this cool and majestic instrument. Lastly, I’d like to start playing around with Arduinos and other devices such as Raspberry Pi to create some fun projects in my spare time.”
