How and when did you find your way to Mtech?
In the spring of 2007, I was a student without much to do for the summer. I saw a traditional job ad, and that is how it all started. I spent the summer mainly in IT support, and the following winter I came back to work on my thesis, and then I just stayed. I did finally complete the thesis as well.
How has your career with Mtech been so far?
After finishing my studies in the spring of 2008, I immediately went on to work as an expert. Initially, the roles of “telecommunications expert”, “Citrix expert” and “IT support” were quite precisely defined in the employment contract, based on the needs and expertise of the time. However, I made the mistake of being caught up in a little bit of everything, which from the point of view of the employer looked like a very desirable direction in our small team. Very soon, the actual content of my work expanded to cover all sorts of things around the IT infrastructure.
I soon found myself not only dealing with technical networks and servers, but also involved in various integrations and collaboration systems, taking care of data security and planning for the future. Later, the work focused more on the planning and development of integral systems, and overall responsibility for larger implementations, while not forgetting consultations both in-house and towards the customers. Being part of the standby rota from the beginning has added a unique flavour to my work.
Nothing is as refreshing as the cheerful and rather loud beeping of the standby phone before Sunday daybreak, especially when you soon realise the call concerns an implementation completely unknown to you.
What has changed during this time?
The company has evolved into a more modern and also more international direction. At the same time, of course, it has grown and changed from a small community company into an entity more resembling a conventional enterprise. The customer base has expanded and the connection of work to place and time has decreased.
An example that illustrates the cultural change is the attitude towards working from home. It used to be an exception, but some years ago it finally got established at a fairly fast pace as a completely normal way to work.
What is best at Mtech?
A certain amount of freedom and flexibility seems to be the best thing for me. Instead of a model dictated from above, we have been able to do our job the way we see best when we can explain why. An example of flexibility is a recent case with the need for further training. The matter was handled in practice by one single e-mail, although its effect on the use of working hours was at times quite significant. There has also always been a flexible attitude towards working hours, one way or the other.
Task variation has also been an important factor for my work comfort: sometimes an extensive network environment change takes up the whole day; sometimes you oscillate between fifteen small changes or troubleshooting cases; occasionally you spend it in a meeting with customers, and then maybe working on scripting automation. Years ago, I was a little amazed at the unusually long careers working for the same employer that several colleagues had. Looking at the top of the story and the date when I came here, I can no longer afford to be surprised. The company must have done something right.
What do you do on your free time?
“I didn’t understand the question,” answers the parent of pre-school age children. Of course, a lion’s share of my time is spent with the children, and there is always enough to do in a detached house. Right now, for example, I am in the middle of setting up a warehouse. I try to exercise in different ways, and to have a technology-related hobby project from time to time.