Name: Miika Peltotalo
Job description: Software Engineer
What is something that not everyone knows about you?
I have many interests and like to dig into all kinds of topics. I read a lot about world politics, for example, and form my opinions based on that. It helps me discuss a wide range of topical issues. So I play Wikipedia limbo every now and again. I browse through all sorts of articles and take an interest when someone makes an argument about a specific topic. Then I want to learn
more about it.
Naturally, I also look for information on many work-related topics. The downside is that the information search can go off the rails, and soon it’s no longer relevant to my work. That’s when I need to recentre my focus.
What was the spark that inspired you to join Identio?
I was hired quite early on, and back then, I might have had a bit more enthusiasm than know-how. I didn’t have much project experience yet, or work experience from IT companies. However, I had coded a lot at the university and done various projects in my free time. I had mainly focused on pushing my studies forward.
I was immediately captivated by the laid-back nature of the Identio team, and the job interview was not what I had expected – a really nice one, nonetheless. I was impressed, and soon after, we were on our morning runs together. It was a great way to combine a running hobby with work. I also felt that they trusted me from the start, although I lacked in experience. It reminded me of my first years on the board of the students’ union, where you never ran out of things to learn – it was down to how much time and effort you were willing to put in.
What drives you in your work?
I’m really interested in world politics and how competitive different countries are. In terms of digital services, I take special interest in creating a specific competitive edge to companies and countries. Digital infrastructure can be mission critical, and there are many digital services, such as tax and identification services, that bring a certain competitive edge over other countries.
That’s the great thing about IT: you can create things like this that will hopefully make operations easier and more straightforward. However, it requires that the company for whom the service is being developed is ready to change their processes. You can’t just force processes and software to work together. The organisation and software must play as a team, and compromises are always necessary. It is also a question of managing change.
Through investments, I have also learned about different kinds of companies. It’s funny how much coding can affect the operations of a company. For example, it’s interesting how software can be adapted to work together in a business merger.
What would you like to tell your future colleagues?
You should take a relaxed approach to work and stick to it. There can be times when the stress-levels rise. If it feels like you are forcing the work, you should talk it through with a colleague. That’s something that could always be encouraged more. We are, after all, creating services for people for the long run.
Are you interested in Identio as a workplace? See our open positions.
