Olli Lindgren - Walking through the woods and the code jungle

My first month at Bradleys is almost done. I started in a new project on my first day, so the beginning of the year has mostly been spent getting familiar with the people, technologies and the ways of working. When we were looking for a suitable project for me, I wanted a good balance of familiar and unfamiliar things. A completely new domain, language or technology stack keeps you challenged and helps round out your resume. Familiar things make you feel like you still know your stuff even with all this new information coming at you. I’ve learned a lot during this month but still have a bunch to learn.

I like the puzzle-solving aspect of programming. Before starting at Bradleys, I was a project scrum master in addition to my regular duties as a senior software developer. I often felt that I had little time to spend on actually creating code. I often wished I could be just a developer, able to focus on solving technical puzzles related to the project architecture or a new feature. However, now that I am in a pure software developer role, I keep noticing pain points and things we could improve in the project tools, methods and processes. I want to make life easier for the developers and other people involved. I feel like I’m best described as a developer that enjoys such non-technical puzzles as well.

In my spare time, I let out steam and clear my thoughts by playing video games or taking walks in nature. By going outside, you can carve out some time for yourself if the day feels otherwise too busy. I read a lot of books when I was younger, but I’ve mostly switched from that to audio books since you can listen while walking or doing chores around the house.

Working at Bradleys seemed like a good fit and a natural next step for my career. After working in two larger companies, it’s nice to sit down for team lunches where most of the employees meet weekly. You also feel like you get to be part of creating the story of the company.