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From backpacking adventures to kickstarting a career in IT!

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Hanna-Marii joined Nortal Leap (previously known as Nortal University) in 2022 alongside 16 other enthusiastic young people. Today, she works at Nortal as a junior software developer and is actively studying for her Java certificate to step up the career ladder as a mid-level developer.

 

“My greatest memory of the training week is Toiduakadeemia. We spent such a good night together – a lot of good food, amazing wine, and many happy faces!”

 

The idea of joining Nortal sparked in Hanna-Marii years before she found her way into the company.  During her backpacking travel adventures, a Nortal Leap advertisement popped up that led her to decide to come back and apply at Nortal to start working in the field she graduated from. After having a pause in programming for about a year, she felt that Nortal’s concept and support system is perfect for her growth opportunities.

According to her, the experience so far has been amazing. With all the knowledge around, the learning curve for Hanna-Marii has been quite significant. There is something to learn every day, and seeing herself develop and grow gives her even more will to continue growing professionally.

Hanna-Marii finds her everyday inspiration from being surrounded by other Nortalists, her team, and her mentor, who has been a great support to her during the first months in her new position. She says that people on her team are the professionals she comes to the office every day to enjoy being around – intelligent and innovative people – who inspire her to become better and better.

Besides interesting and challenging work, many other things are always happening at Nortal. She has gladly taken part in summer days, different fun activities and challenges, learning events, etc. – as they give her opportunities to get to know people in the company, gain new knowledge, and share existing wisdom with fellow employees.

 

“This growing process has been a huge highlight! To see myself develop and grow, I learn so much every day.”

 

Sometimes, however, we all face challenges that make us wonder if we can achieve our goals, especially when we apply for a new job and begin working in a new career. To help you overcome some of the fears, we asked Hanna-Marii about her challenges during her application process/early in her career and how she overcame them.

 

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Not being smart enough. All programmers have felt it, trust us! You are not obliged to know everything when applying for a new position. Many things just come with experience.

Work and team meetings in English can be scary initially if it’s not your native language. You’ll soon get used to it and won’t even remember to be scared at some point.

Everything seemed so big, new, and scary in the beginning. Give yourself time, trust the process, your mentor, and your support team. Everything will go smoothly at some point ­– you will get familiar with the tools and how everything works.

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She had a long pause from programming, which made her feel that starting again was difficult. Hanna-Marii’s suggestion is to keep going and don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if they sound foolish in your head. Sometimes, asking a question is the thing that leads you on!

Here are three recommendations from Hanna-Marii to consider if you are considering applying to Nortal Leap to kickstart your IT career growth.

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If you don’t know how to solve the test, still give your maximum effort to complete as much of it as possible. Learn, read new things, use Google, and submit your task. It shows a lot about you and your learning abilities.

02 / 03

Nortal is the best place to start your IT career if you really want to make a meaningful impact in the world, as the support system for your growth opportunities is excellent.

03 / 03

Take it seriously if you apply; read what Nortal as a company is, what we do, and what our values are.

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Don’t miss out on the opportunity to build your tech career with us in Nortal!