Looking back at 2020
The Rocket year 2020 brought with it something old, something new, something borrowed and something... orange.
We at Rakettitiede partner up with start-ups as well as listed companies in various software development projects and have no qualms about working in any industry. As we already wrote in March, the coronavirus pandemic did not propel our Rocket from orbit. The virus affected the operations of some more than it did others, and in some sectors business came to a grinding halt as companies started scraping the bottom of their money coffers. We experienced the bad news as a slower-than-usual spring and summer. However, the approaching winter renewed our clients’ belief in making investments and resulted in a vibrant buzz at the satellites of our scientists as well as at the Command Center – we’re happy to tell you that we are (and have been) actively recruiting new rocket scientist again.
Things are stirring at the client front as well. Although we haven’t dabbled in delivering entire teams before, we just sold a four-person team to a new client. Another piece of happy news is that we partnered up with the City of Helsinki. We haven’t previously done many gigs in the public sector, so you could say we’re experiencing is an explosive growth spurt in that area. On top of acquiring new clients, such as Avena, we have strengthened our relationship with our old ones, as the betting agency Veikkaus, sports watch manufacturer Suunto and engineering and service company Kone hired more of our rockets scientists.
All our clients, regardless of their size or industry, share one feature: they provide our developers with interesting assignments, set high standards for our consultants and appreciate competence and experience. We won’t be hiding our lights under bushels: launched in August, our Resource Store boasts a high-quality range of classics, special shipments and new releases.
Providing a home base for all our resources
In early spring, we asked our most recent scientists how they ended up on board the Rocket and what they think about working with their moon suit on. The consultants valued Rakettitiede’s straightforward work culture, competent colleagues and better than average pay. On top of these, they also appreciated the diverse work assignments (whose selection they can also influence) and the possibility for part-ownership of the company:
“Numero uno: the salary. The industry standard is something completely different. However, another thing that has proved even more important than the pay is the diversity of work and the development of one’s skills. Even with 20 years of experience, there is still a lot to learn all the time. As a consultant you get an opportunity to be part of something that the steady grind of staying at one workplace isn’t able to offer. Tuomas, resource #34
“I got the feeling that, if you work for the Rocket, you’re going to be working alongside some pretty hardcore professionals.” Resource #33
“I was used to working at the clients’ premises, so the idea of having various forms of entertainment at the office didn’t really even cross my mind. The opportunity to invest in the company and being able to influence the business was also an important reason for joining Rakettitiede.” Joona, resource #36
“Whenever the rocket scientist meet, they create a special atmosphere and shoot the breeze like Rambo on steroids. However, the best part is when someone asks me what I do for a living and I get to proudly say: ’I am a rocket scientist’.” Joni, resource #40
And now, something that’s borrowed (from us): In addition to our brand new rocket scientists, two returning passengers boarded the Rocket after a period of searching for greener code on the other side of the fence. We were happy to see them come back and joining our crew of happy astronauts. To be perfectly honest, one of these returnees already came back last year, but never mind the details – time flies when you’re having fun in good company.
Wait, there’s more...
We naturally want to continue producing high-quality code and aim at manageable growth. This is best achieved by leaving as little room as possible to speculation. That’s why we’re currently invested in surveying the state of software development together with the Finnish Software and E-business Association. We will be reporting on the results of the market research soon, so stay tuned!