Jonne Heikkinen works as a Specialist in the Service Control Centre (PalHa), which monitors the operation of processes and identifies performance issues. However, Heikkinen's professional background is from an entirely different field. How did a classroom teacher end up working in IT, and what has he learnt along the way?  

In his work, Service Control's Jonne Heikkinen must be prepared for many kinds of unexpected situations. For instance, cards may stop working or payments get blocked for some unknown reason. These disruptions can happen anywhere, anytime, so PalHa's specialists must be on standby around the clock. When an incident occurs, the team ensures that an assessment is initiated and that the process progresses smoothly to the finish line.  
  
When Heikkinen started in PalHa in January 2023, he was a newcomer to the IT industry. What made an educationalist jump into the unknown, and how has he felt about the technical role?  

  Interest in IT as a common thread    

Jonne, who studied at the University of Jyväskylä, started working as a primary school teacher in 2011. Working with children was rewarding, and Heikkinen enjoyed his work. In schools, IT responsibilities often fell to Jonne, who was interested in technology.  

– I administered the school's computers and IT equipment. I guided the staff in the use of smart devices and helped with problems. This role came naturally to me, even though I hadn't had any IT training. 
  
The zest for teaching kept Heikkinen in his job for over a decade. When the social problems that made news headlines started to strain educational communities in the 2020s, Jonne had to admit that the school world had become hard. The idea of change started to creep into his mind.    

A crisis gave pause and revealed opportunities     

The beginning of 2022 was marked by a shock when Heikkinen fell seriously ill. Uncertainty and fear took over his mind. Even though the initial shock soon turned into relief due to a positive prognosis, a long treatment period lay ahead.  
  
– During my nine-month sick leave, I had time to think about life. I asked myself, did I want to go back to how things were. If I wanted to make changes, now would be the perfect time. 

Jonne browsed recruitment pages with curiosity and spotted OP's job advertisement. His attention was drawn to the description of "detects disruptions, acts on them and contacts the right people."      

– That sounded just like the job of a teacher supervising a break, Heikkinen laughs.    

The list of familiar characteristics continued when the criteria mentioned good communication skills. However, Jonne hesitated to apply because he lacked experience in IT, apart from a summer job at a mobile phone factory.    

– I sent an email to the supervisor in charge of the recruitment. I asked whether I should apply or whether they were looking for a person with IT qualifications. The supervisor strongly encouraged me to apply and told me that the team consisted of people from various backgrounds.   

Jonne sent his application, and a few months later, started working at OP.    

Learning new things is challenging and rewarding  

During the application process, the supervisor made it clear to Heikkinen that learning the new role would require hard work. Right at the beginning, there was a lot of new vocabulary.   

– The language of the school world differs from that of banking and information technology, and it took a while to master all the abbreviations. My working language changed from Finnish to English, and many practical working methods were new to me. Fortunately, in my current job, meetings are included in working hours, unlike in the teacher's job. I work both day and night shifts, which brings nice variety to life. There's a unique atmosphere on the night shifts. 

In PalHa, it's essential to react to situations in a timely and appropriate manner, just like as a teacher.   

– If we receive a notification of service interruption at night, we must decide whether to wake up the person responsible for the matter. PalHa must the voice of reason and act calmly – this work demands nerves of steel. 

Jonne says that he built up his ability to tolerate stress in the school world, where his endless patience earned him some chuckles. Service Control handles both internal incident communications and regulatory reporting, so excellent communication skills are constantly in use. The former teacher admits to introducing the red pen marking familiar from school to his role – at least symbolically.  

–  I've become PalHa's very own language police. Luckily, my teammates take it well.   

"Honing one's expertise is a point of honour in my work"   

As an expert in pedagogy, Jonne heaps praise on OP's strong culture of competence development.  

– There are many different training opportunities here. It's great that people so actively use the 70:20:10 model. You can learn about new phenomena in many ways, like by reading literature or journals. I myself try to constantly expand my knowledge. I consider it a point of honour in expert work. 

Heikkinen enjoys his job very much and describes it as a window into OP's services. He applauds his own PalHa team for its positive attitude.  

– It's a mixed group of people of different personalities and ages, but mutual respect and a culture of encouragement are strong. 

Heikkinen is content with his career choice, even though the change has meant learning new things.  

– You have to tolerate the discomfort zone at the beginning. Asking a lot of questions has required patience and humility, but all the effort has been worth it. In this moment, I'm proud of myself – it takes courage to embark on a new path.