Hi guys! Let’s start from the very beginning – meaning tell us who exactly you are?
Tommi & Niko: We both are 4th year students from the same class of Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Kerava. We’re graduating in about a month from the degree programme of business information technology (=BIT) as Bachelors of BIT.
How did you end up in Eazybreak?
Tommi & Niko: Our road to Eazybreak was quite a bit different than the way most BIT-students find companies for job placements. Usually, a 5-month trainee period is done during the Spring of 3rd year of studies. After that, you’re supposed to have all but your thesis done. However, we first found out about Eazybreak when they were searching Laurea’s job forum for students to do a thesis. We grabbed onto the notification and started planning digital marketing and a new website for them. Somehow, we also ended up being offered trainee positions in the end of September.
There’s a strong can-do-attitude going on in Eazybreak. – – It was nice to work in a smaller company because it made me feel like I was getting deeper into the company’s business activities.
Tommi
What have you been doing in Eazybreak during your trainee period?
Tommi: Developing the new website & other programming-oriented tasks in product development were on my daily task list.
Niko: We did indeed develop Eazybreak’s new website together with Tommi from October to January. Tommi wanted to focus on programming, whereas I was more interested in project management and social media marketing. Diving into the worlds of Facebook and Twitter was very fruitful to me and I did learn a lot about people’s behavior and about what works and what doesn’t. Search engine optimization was very interesting too – especially the more technical side of it.
Have your tasks been meaningful to you?
Tommi: My tasks have been very diverse and good for learning and strengthening my skills. There’s been something interesting to do all the time so I haven’t had to just sit around doing nothing.
Niko: My tasks have been interesting and very rewarding. I feel like I’ve even got to genuinely affect many things in Eazybreak. This is something completely new in my career.
What has Eazybreak as a company felt like?
Tommi: There’s a strong can-do-attitude going on in Eazybreak. The working atmosphere was very positive and I felt very welcome there. It was nice to work in a smaller company because it made me feel like I was getting deeper into the company’s business activities.
Niko: It’s been a lot of fun to work in Eazybreak and time has passed very quickly. Nice colleagues and a very flexible working environment have been a big plus. My previous experiences are from larger companies but it’s been very interesting working in this small start-up-minded company. The job description can often be very limited in larger companies – but in Eazybreak I’ve got to do very different kinds of tasks.
Finding small businesses can be difficult. But, I find working in them exceptionally rewarding and diverse. So, I would recommend everyone looking for a job placement to spend a couple of hours finding suitable smaller companies too.
Niko
What has been most difficult about your work? And what’s been the best?
Niko: The hardest thing here has been to fully understand the most crucial question: what is Eazybreak. In the beginning, everything here seemed so complicated. However, we got deeper and deeper into the processes and IT-systems and all else every day. Attending the weekly team meetings was very important to me because we went through important general and personal projects inside Eazybreak and with our customers. In addition to these meetings, the best thing in my work has been the diversity of my tasks and the community here at Eazybreak.
Tommi: As Niko mentioned, the hardest thing was understanding the different aspects of Eazybreak in the beginning. The best thing was to get to be a part of real projects – like developing the new website – and actually do them from start to finish.
How are you going to continue after this trainee period?
Tommi: We’re supposed to graduate in the end of next month (March). After that, I’m going to take a small break and study by myself. I have a clear vision of how I want to advance in my career.
Niko: I’m going to continue social media marketing and upkeeping the website here at Eazybreak part-time. All else is still a mystery but I have been looking for some extra jobs and have a couple options already. Hopefully, I’ll know more soon.
I’ve also considered continuing studying in some university. The next application period is in December, however. This year in between that will be very good because it feels hard to find the right master’s program for me. Maybe some day – let’s see.
What tips would you give to other students planning their job placement?
Tommi: When searching for a company for job placement, you should think about what you want to do after the trainee period. You’ll get valuable experience and real connections for your future. Also, finding the best company for you can be challenging. You should start looking very early and be extremely active – and don’t give up if you can’t find the perfect place immediately.
Niko: Finding small businesses can be difficult. But, I find working in them exceptionally rewarding and diverse. So, I would recommend everyone looking for a job placement to spend a couple of hours finding suitable smaller companies too. When applying for a position, you shouldn’t leave all your hope on e-mail. Call them, walk into the office or film a short video even. And start early, also – I spent 3 months looking for a place before I got lucky.
Thank you so much for this interview – and for your time in Eazybreak, especially.