Along his career path, Edvard’s had the opportunity to work with satellite technology, robots and a host of interesting clients. He’s been driven by a passion to solve even the toughest of challenges and an insatiable urge to learn new things – even in the shower. As luck would have it, it was none other than rockets that led him to Rakettitiede.

Software developer Edvard Majakari – Ed to his friends and rocket scientist #20 to his fellow resources – works on typical consulting projects, mostly B2B applications and clients’ internal tools for various needs.

Ed says he enjoys being a consultant because of the varied job description: “I need to constantly challenge myself or else I get bored.”

How did he, Tampere’s gift to the consulting world and a warm-hearted developer with a passion for coding, mathematics and the mysteries of space, end up on board the Rocket? And why, after leaving, did he dig up his moon suit and step back onboard the mother ship?

Love for computers and software sparked at a young age

Let’s jump into our DeLorean and take it out for a spin: how did Ed end up working with software?

His deep fascination with computers and software development is an offshoot of his love for maths. Already as a teenager, Ed used his first earnings to buy a programmable calculator which he used to build simple programs centred around number theory and probability calculation.

“I love the fact that software development shares many of its features with mathematics. Mathematics is a precise discipline: once a solution has been found, there is no ambiguity about whether it meets certain exact criteria or not. The same applies to software. Software development is creative too because even a simple problem can be solved in an infinite number of ways,” Ed explains.

The youthful spark grew into a study path that initially meandered in automation technology and later in information technology.

“I absolutely devoured IT-related books. My interest may be best illustrated by the fact that when I became fixated on a particular topic, I even read books about it in the shower. Some books were unfortunately harmed in the process,” Ed says laughing.

As a rocket scientist, Ed considers himself as an entrepreneur/salaried employee mix: “The company provides the tools you want, connects you with clients and takes care of the well-being of the employees. At the same time, you’re free to do what you want. The job is a mix of just the right amount of responsibility and freedom, and the salary is generous to boot. There’s also virtually no bureaucracy.”

His career as an actual software developer began during his studies. One of his most memorable projects at the time was related to robots. “The problems I had to solve were very simple but made me want to be able to do such things in the future as well. In addition, I was hopelessly interested in everything space-related back then – and still am,” Ed says.

Rakettitiede first entered the scene when Ed was teaching a couple of talented lower secondary school students space-related programming in an after-school club with the help of the Kerbal Space Program game. “It’s an excellent game that teaches a lot about space flights, especially things like orbital mechanics and the kinds of problems that need to be solved during missions. With a suitable add-on, the game became programmable as well.”

“Inspired by the game, I once on a whim searched for ‘rocket science in Finland’ on my browser even though I knew that there were no qualifications for anything like that and that rocket science wasn’t something that could earn you a living in Finland,” Ed says.

But, as fate would have it, the mother ship was already awaiting Ed’s arrival.

Serendipitous landing on the Rocket and the world of consulting

After landing on the Rocket’s website, Ed submitted his application almost straight away. “I immediately felt a genuine sense of authenticity, a connection and a feeling of ease. I got the feeling that these people are nice and don’t pretend to be something they’re not,” he says.

Before Ed could say ‘orbital mechanics’, he found himself chatting about life as a rocket scientist with Juha and Arttu: “My first impressions proved accurate, and I felt right at home.” With a shake of hands, Ed became part of the Rakettitiede crew in 2017.

“I immediately felt a genuine sense of authenticity, a connection and a feeling of ease. I got the feeling that these people are nice and don’t pretend to be something they’re not,”

“I started off with a couple of very interesting projects. In one, I got to develop a facilities management and appointment system, and in the other, I was involved in automating telecommunications network optimisation,” Ed says.

His daily work was highly independent, typical development work. “It was the typical day-to-day life of an average developer.”

Nonetheless, the Rocket began to stand out in a positive light in Ed’s eyes.

“Here you quickly acquire an identity that’s somewhere between that of an entrepreneur and a salaried employee. The company provides you with the tools you want, connects you with clients and takes care of the well-being of the employees in general. At the same time, you’re free to do what you want. The job is a mix of just the right amount of responsibility and freedom, and the salary is generous to boot. There’s also virtually no bureaucracy,” he says with a happy smile.

A love affair with satellite technology before returning to the Rocket

A couple of years passed on board the mother ship, until fate knocked on the door in 2019. An old friend and colleague asked Ed if he would be interested in working in the field of satellite technology.

“Satellites are kind of like robots, so it combined two of my passions: robotics and space. I was gobsmacked and couldn’t believe my luck,” Ed says and continues: “People at the Rocket knew all too well that, for me, this was one stone that couldn’t be left unturned. Already then I was told that I could always come back.”

“People at the Rocket knew all too well that, for me, this was one stone that couldn’t be left unturned.”

According to Ed, working with satellite technology was awesome, rewarding and even meaningful.

Satellites can be used to detect things that we would not otherwise see at all. “They can be used for things like monitoring natural disasters – or even predicting them. This is done by measuring the advancement of ice or water masses, for example. I was involved in developing software and tools that others used to manage the satellite fleet. It was super interesting to work on those things at that point in my career,” Ed says.

Just over two years of satellite technology was enough for Ed, however: “I felt so good about my years on board the Rocket that when I felt ready to return to the world of consulting I decided to contact them.”

Comfortable as a consultant – changing assignments promote creativity and keep things interesting

Ed moon-suited up again in 2021 and hasn’t looked back. Consulting is his forte, and he finds the variety of interesting problems and clients and his nice colleagues invigorating.

What lessons has Ed learnt during his career?

“Having worked on many different assignments has taught me certain humility that comes with time. One thing I’ve realised is that the best way to solve problems is to leave your ego aside and talk to the client about how you can start solving things together. Some people who have been stuck in the daily grind for decades may sometimes have the urge to set the record straight and show the client how things are done. That doesn’t lead to any new knowledge though. It’s also an approach that is markedly foreign to the Rocket mindset,” he says.

In his career, Ed has been motivated by an interest in the intricacies of the world and solving various problems. His job as a consultant allows him to deepen his knowledge while working with different clients.

“This is a good place for a software developer,” Ed says.

Software, satellite technology and shower books – Read Edvard’s career story