People of Pema | Ida Viksten Software Engineer

In this interview, we sit down with Ida Viksten to talk about her job as a software engineer and her experiences at Pemamek. Ida is part of a software team of 20 people who work with data, user experience, and robotic software just to name a few.

Ida Viksten works as a Software engineer and has been with Pemamek for 3 years. Ida works with front-end UI, in other words with everything that people see on screens for example. At Pemamek, her work is visible on the digital screens of various robots we have.

Ida has been living in Loimaa for the past 3-4 years, and outside of work, she likes to spend her time playing various video games and taking care of her dog. Ida and her dog do agility together and Ida admits it sometimes can feel like a full-time job being a dog parent.

“I just like the smaller cities compared to the big cities; I couldn’t really imagine living in a big city. I like having everything close, and not too much of anything. Having a couple of nice places to eat for example is enough. Still, Loimaa is also really close to Turku, which I like. I go there all the time on the train.”

I really like that I get to be in charge of what I do. I feel like I’m being trusted in my position and in my tasks. I also like the machines. As UI designers, not many of us get to make UI for machines like these.

How would you describe coding to someone who doesn’t know anything about it?

“I often get the question of what coding actually is. I usually explain that it’s like solving puzzles, but in this game the puzzle pieces are words. Also, problem-solving is so common in daily work that I sometimes refer to myself as a “Professional googler”.

What are the best parts of working at Pemamek?

“I really like that I get to be in charge of what I do. I feel like I’m being trusted in my position and in my tasks. If I have an opinion people respect that. I’m viewed as an expert in UI, it’s nice to have that kind of recognition.
I also like the machines. As UI designers, not many of us get to make UI for machines like these. I feel that UI can often just be some data on a website that doesn’t do anything but it is there to make the site look pretty.

In addition, at Pemamek the atmosphere is good. Even if something would go wrong or we have some challenges in the team, it feels like there is a “We’re all in this together” mentality. It’s pretty fun. Everyone helps each other, and I really like that. Whenever you go and ask someone, they usually help, instead of leaving you alone.

About working remotely

Having the option of working remotely or coming to the office is another aspect of working at Pemamek that Ida appreciates a lot.

“I really like working remotely, I like to wake up at my own speed, take my laptop and start working. I love not having to ride my bike, even though it’s only 5 minutes to the office. I’m just lazy. I like that I can be at my home computer. I do a lot of stuff on my own computer and I have my own setup, all the monitors that I would need, all the LED lights I would need.

Although it can of course get lonely sometimes, you don’t really get to see people. We do have daily meetings with my team, where we talk about work and non-work-related things. It’s nice to come to the office sometimes, to walk around, and to get out. It’s nice to have both options.”

What advice do you have for people applying for a job at Pemamek?

“It’s enough to know something, you don’t have to know everything. I often see people reading the job description before applying and they are like oh I don’t know everything. My advice is that it’s fine to apply anyway, you don’t have to check every box. At Pema, you get to learn and grow also according to your own interests. Another piece of advice is that you should also be prepared to travel a bit.”

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