Will you be our next Rakettitiede consultant?
Becoming a consultant at Rakettitiede might be the best career decision you’ll ever make – but how can you be sure? We came up with six questions you can ask yourself to see whether donning a moon suit is really for you. Below, you can read about the experiences of Juha Löflund, a seasoned rocket scientist with ample experience in working at various consulting houses, and Aleksi Hankalahti, who left his in-house role to become a consultant.
In 2022, embedded developer Juha Löflund, known today as rocket scientist #69, decided it was time for a career shake-up. With a stellar track record in various consulting firms, Juha had tackled numerous challenging tasks in embedded software development. “Consulting has always come naturally to me, although I’ve never actively pursued it as a career,” Juha says.
Juha had been eyeing Rakettitiede for a while when a message from a rocket recruiter landed in his inbox. “I had been thinking of gaining a bit more experience for a couple of years before taking the plunge. But when the message came, I didn’t have to think twice about potentially boarding the Rocket,” he says with a grin.
Aleksi Hankalahti, rocket scientist #48, has a different story, as he had been with one company for a long time before joining the Rocket crew. “I switched from an in-house role to consulting because I wanted to pursue something new and different,” he explains. Aleksi, an experienced embedded developer, found himself in a rut as the most experienced coder in the company. “I became blind to what my level of expertise really was,” he says.
Sound familiar? Dive deeper into the experiences of these two rocket consultants and consider whether a rocket scientist’s moon suit might just be the perfect fit for you too.
#1 Am I ready to work with different clients?
Aleksi Hankalahti, rocket scientist #48, went looking for new challenges and decided to become a consultant. “I’ve had the chance to work on some really fascinating cases,” he says, satisfied with his career change.
In the consulting world, assignments can change in tandem with the lunar cycle or stretch out over several years. At the Rocket, the goal is to offer rocket scientists longer assignments (averaging at around two years) to ensure they can integrate into the team and really focus on their development work. For instance, in the past three years, Aleksi has had three clients, with the longest stint having been two years and the shortest just a few months.
“In my opinion, this is what makes consulting exciting. I get to tackle diverse problems and work with various clients, teams and domains without having to change jobs,” Aleksi says.
#2 Am I curious and ready to quickly learn new things?
When a Rocket consultant walks through their new client’s doors for the first time, they are often expected to get up to speed quickly. Rocket scientists are known for their professionality and experience as well as for being able to offer top-notch solutions for demanding needs. This can mean that in addition to handling their specified task, a rocket scientist can provide more general consultative insights.
A good consultant is curious about why things happen and how existing processes can be improved. Or as Juha puts it: “Consultants aren’t wallflowers but active contributors. You need to have the courage to take on new challenges and to be ready to push your limits.”
“Consultant aren’t wallflowers but active contributors.” – Juha Löflund
#3 Am I prepared to have difficult and challenging conversations?
Clients hire seasoned software development consultants for their ability to introduce fresh insights, challenge the status quo and question existing practices. Stefan Brünig from our client company Vaisala notes that consultants can supercharge software development, especially when the aim is to scale it to the next level.
“I think it’s crucial to involve external consultants in your projects. They have specialised and valuable skills that play a pivotal role in advancing development work. And what is more, they also enhance the skillsets of other team members vertically,” Stefan says.
As a consultant, you need to have courage to address even the most challenging topics and to speak up if things at the client or internally at Rakettitiede are heading in the wrong direction. “The Rocket’s culture is based on transparency and honesty: if something isn’t as it should be, it has to be discussed openly,” says the Rocket’s CEO Juha Huttunen.
#4 Am I prepared to continuously learn and adapt to keep my professional skills competitive?
Many rocket scientists agree that the best part of consulting is the opportunity to dive into interesting technical challenges. “The best thing about being a consultant is that I can get new assignments and clients without changing jobs. The Rocket always helps to keep the work meaningful,” Juha Löflund says.
This was also why Aleksi switched from an in-house role to consulting. “I started looking for new challenges and a chance to work with different kinds of clients – and that’s exactly what I got,” he says.
“I started looking for new challenges and a chance to work with different kinds of clients – and that’s exactly what I got” – Aleksi Hankalahti
However, the need to develop your skills and undergo training came as a surprise. “As a consultant, undergoing and managing training can be difficult since working hours are billed to the client. This challenge isn’t unique to Rakettitiede, though, but a well-known issue in the consulting industry,” Juha says.
On the flip side, client projects offer significant opportunities for skill development. “When the tasks the client gives you are interesting and challenging enough, you always learn something new. I’ve had the chance to work on some really fascinating cases like the satellite software I’m currently involved in,” Aleksi says.
A consultant must maintain their expertise differently from an in-house developer, as this directly impacts their marketability. “I tend to my skills to ensure continuous development. I embrace new challenges at work—it’s proven to be a successful approach for me,” Juha says.
Read more about building your skillset in a consultancy!
#5 Is Rakettitiede’s salary model right for me, and am I willing to take a small risk with my livelihood?
Consultant cannot be wallflowers but need to have the courage to be active contributors. Juha Löflund, rocket scientist #69, has a diverse consultancy background, but he was drawn to the Rocket’s salary model and it’s fair distribution of responsibilities and remuneration.
Juha was particularly interested in Rakettitiede’s salary model, where the consultant receives fair remuneration for the work done. “It’s right up my alley. I am responsible for my own expertise and will be compensated accordingly,” Juha says.
The salary model is perfect for those who trust their expertise and want to keep it up to date, that’s to say easily marketable.
In Rakettitiede’s classic salary model, the developer receives a gross salary equal to 50% of the client invoicing (and we have another option, too, which you can read more about here). The 50/50 model is motivating and fair. That said, the consultant accepts the risk that, without an assignment, they might be in for some bench time and a bench salary. But to give an example, this year (2024), the sales rate of consultants has been 95%. This means that our consultants’ moon suits don’t need hang on the rack for long before a new assignment comes along.
“We believe that everyone should receive fair remuneration for their work. Building the Rocket is a joint effort, so why not share the rewards equally?” our CEO Juha Huttunen says.
This model was also a first for Löflund, who describes it as a pleasant surprise. “Salary negotiations are stress-free, as the salary always follows the market price,” he says. This is also facilitated by the fact that our hourly rates are transparent, meaning there’s no need for guesswork or corridor gossip!
#6 How much do I rely on a close-knit workplace community or support from my employer in my daily life?
Most Rocket consultants work at the client’s premises and adapt to their client’s daily routines. “The most challenging part of consulting is the occasional feeling of being an outsider. We are part of both the client’s team and Rakettitiede, and balancing between the two can be tricky,” Aleksi says.
To receive support, the consultant needs to be active and reciprocal in their efforts. “If you need help, you can get it right away. However, we are not constantly present in every consultant’s daily life, so some of the responsibility falls on the consultant as well,” Juha explains. The mothership takes care of the most important employer responsibilities and organises joint events almost every month.
The Rocket also has a solution to the support challenge: caretakers. A caretaker is a designated colleague who can be called upon if you need a shoulder to lean on, someone to talk to or a sparring partner when cracking the binary code. “Think of the caretakers as our version of supervisors. The rocket crew is scattered, but that doesn’t eliminate the need for help or a sparring partner,” Juha says.
And what is the rocket scientists’ workplace community like? It’s warm, fair and just the right degree of nerdy. You could say that Rakettitiede is a workplace for adults. It has no ping-pong tournaments or bouncy castles, but what we do have is a cosy new office at the centre of Helsinki. The essentials are in place, and there are definitely lots of likeminded people to have a chat with.
“A person who can – and wants to – step outside their comfort zone without too much stress will enjoy working at Rakettitiede,” Juha Löflund sums up.