Anni's career story

At the end of 2018, I finished my Master's degree in Astronomy, and I faced a tough choice: to leave Finland and pursue a life as a scientist, or to stay here and "get a real job". I have been interested in programming since forever, so I included the basic and intermediate Computer Science modules in my degree. Thus, when I decided that going abroad was not the right choice for the moment, it was clear that my career would be in computers.

I already knew CSC before applying, as in addition to services everyone at the university uses, such as eduroam, I had written my Master's thesis as a member in a research group that uses CSC supercomputers to run cosmological simulations. CSC had always been an attracting employer for me, as it offers the chance to be part of a community doing things that are not possible anywhere else in Finland, not to mention its non-profit nature which is definitely a big plus. When the focus is not on maximizing shareholder profit, one can go all in on creating the best possible services for the customers.

CSC had always been an attracting employer for me, as it offers the chance to be part of a community doing things that are not possible anywhere else in Finland, not to mention its non-profit nature which is definitely a big plus

After my graduation, I sent an open application to CSC. It did result in a couple of calls, but none of the positions were a good match for my interests. But then, at the end of January, I got lucky: there was a need for a Python programmer doing digital preservation. But I had to act fast: I was already quite far in the application process of another company. I sent my application as fast as possible, and followed up with a call on the next workday. This resulted in a swift interview process, and in the end it only took a couple of weeks before I sat at my new work computer, admiring the view to the sea from 5th floor window at CSC.

While I was already a decent programmer when I started at CSC, I knew practically nothing about digital preservation. However, I became a member of an outstanding team where I have always gotten help and advice when I have needed them, so now I can proudly say that I already know a thing or two. But still not a day goes by here when I don't learn something new. We are also devoted to continuously improving our practices as a team, which I find fitting for the job: in digital preservation we deal in time scales of tens or even hundreds of years, so there's plenty of time to find what works best for us.

Being able to develop not only software but also myself is quite important for me, so I'm very happy that at CSC we are not only allowed but encouraged to put some work hours into honing one's own skills. And even as I turned away from the academia, I haven't completely abandoned it: for example, some of our team members are at iPRES conference in Netherlands right now as I am writing this.

CSC also takes good care of its employees and makes sure they are thriving here. In addition to the standard coffee and tea (and hot cocoa of course!) you find at every workplace, we get a weekly delivery of fresh fruit to bring energy to our workdays, work time can be spent getting a massage, and we can take part in all kinds of activities. I have already had the chance to for example bathe in a rooftop sauna and participate in a LAN party where our bottom floor workspaces are transformed into a gaming area with a wide range of games such as Artemis, rhythm games, Mario Kart, VR and some more serious games.

To conclude, CSC is just the kind of a workplace I can see myself staying for a long time. It's not like we are running out of challenges or opportunities anytime soon. I also wish to see you join me as a part of this community of brilliant minds!