Anna Niku's interview

Software Developer Anna Niku loves learning new things at work and in her free time. According to the IT professional, having a broad perspective of the entire lifecycle of a product is essential – courses in the Tech Academy's Designing and Leading Value Creation Tower have been especially rewarding. Anna, who also works in the role of Agile Master, enjoys deep diving into topics and plans to next try out the Academy's AI courses.   

Anna Niku works as a software developer in the Electronic Signature team. In addition to her technical role, she is the team's Agile Master, facilitating meetings and helping the team develop its activities according to OP's agile method.  Her role also includes tasks related to service operations and technical design together with the team. 

Anna has participated in two courses at the Tech Academy, as she believes competence development to be an essential part of the work of an IT professional.   

"My studies in the Tech Academy's Designing & Leading Value Creation Tower have been extremely rewarding. The Introduction to Design and Product Thinking course goes over the design process for creating a positive customer experience. I've become familiar with the principles and processes of Product Thinking. In addition to independent studies, the course includes mentoring discussions in small groups."   

Last spring, Anna attended the Test Automation course of the Quality Assurance Tower, which explored test automation and other themes through practical exercises. The hands-on approach was a big plus for Anna. She appreciates OP's encouraging attitude towards learning and opportunities for competence development. 

   "Lifelong learning is a must in today's working life, as the world is changing at a rapid pace. New technologies are constantly being developed in the IT sector, so it's important to keep up with the pace. It's great to see that OP encourages employees of all roles to develop their technology skills." 

 "The 70:20:10 model gives time for learning new things" 

Anna sees herself as an intellectually curious learner.  

  "I try to apply what I've learned in practice to make it easier for me to take in new things. I love learning new things and have a long list of topics I'd like to study. With a finite number of hours in a day, some things need to be given priority," says Anna with a smile.  

Anna's motivation for learning also stems from a desire to be better in her work: learning is a lifelong process, and no professional is ever completely "graduated". The 70:20:10 model used at OP is visible in Anna's team in many ways, including independent studies, sharing of knowledge and useful conversations.   

"We take the time to develop our processes and ways of working. Retrospective meetings are especially useful for looking back at one's own progress, successes and challenges. Everything can be taken as a lesson." 

Valuable insight from the Introduction to Design and Product Thinking course 

In her role as an IT professional, Anna has enjoyed the fruits of her studies.     

"I attended a course on test automation last spring, and have already had the chance to apply what I've learned in my work. The course on designing a customer experience has also been extremely fruitful. The topic is exciting, and I believe I'll have a lot to take back to my work from the course, as although my role is that of a technical specialist, everything is ultimately about customer satisfaction." 
 
In Anna's view, the course Introduction to Design and Product Thinking is especially useful for broadening the perspectives of technical specialists. Understanding the entire lifecycle of a product helps developers take the different needs of end users into consideration and ensure the best customer service quality. 

Inspiring content and thought-provoking discussions 
 
Anna sees studying at the Tech Academy as a diverse and inspiring form of competence development.  

"My experience from studies in two of the Academy's towers has been really positive. The courses offer the right balance of self-studying, conversations with a mentor and group discussions. In the Test Automation course, we got the chance to try out what we'd learned in hands-on exercises. The mentors are very knowledgeable, and their feedback has been extremely helpful. The best part of the courses have been conversations with mentors and other students. From the conversations, I've gained new insight into things and a deeper understanding of what I've learned." 

In her free time, Anna has most recently picked up basic studies in Spanish.  
"I study small amounts each day. This way, studying is not a strain and feels more like a pleasant pastime."  

Anna believes that themes around artificial intelligence will become increasingly important, and wishes that AI topics will continue to feature strongly in the Tech Academy's offering.   

"I'm interested in the different ways of using AI, both in my work and in my free time. My next area of studies might just be in the Tech Academy's AI Tower."