Software engineer Miki Suominen started at Profium as a full-time employee in January 2025.
“When I started, I didn’t have much experience on paper, but at Profium I’ve been able to showcase my skills. My role and responsibilities have grown as people have seen what kind of a contributor I am,” Miki says.
A learning mindset drives progress
Miki Suominen’s interest in technology has been with him since childhood. He describes programming as his passion and something that grew from a hobby into a career. Before joining Profium, Miki worked as a junior developer under the guidance of a more experienced colleague. Mentorship was a significant experience for his career.
“I had the chance to work with an excellent senior developer who guided me daily and shared deep expertise. Without that experience, I wouldn’t be nearly as good of a software developer as I am now,” Miki recalls.
To Miki, the most important lesson from the mentoring experience was this: “For a software developer, curiosity and the desire to learn are the most important qualities. When you can maintain an open attitude toward learning new things, you develop faster.”
The combination of mentorship and constant learning has been a powerful accelerator for Miki’s career.
Teamwork and thinking together
“At Profium, a typical workday includes developing roadmap tickets, daily stand-up meetings, and lots of collaborative problem-solving,” Miki explains.
The work is technically challenging and requires close cooperation with other developers. According to Miki, it is precisely this collaboration that makes the work rewarding. The three words he feels best describe Profium’s work atmosphere are solution-oriented, social, and relaxed.
Successes build motivation
What motivates Miki most in his work is the moment when a challenging problem is solved and the results are noticed: “The most rewarding part of my job is being able to solve difficult problems. When you get positive feedback and see the impact of your work, it feels really good.”
For Miki, especially memorable moments have been completing personal projects and receiving feedback on them. These successes inspire him to move forward in his career.
Balance between work and free time
In software development, most of the work happens on a thinking level, which makes balance between work and free time important. Miki feels that 70–80% of a software developer’s work is thinking, with the rest being actual programming.
“In this field, your thoughts can easily revolve around code even in your free time. Software development is largely mental work, so during free time it’s important to do something completely different,” Miki says.
Miki spends his free time with his partner and their two cats. Yoga also provides balance to the demanding nature of the work. Miki considers yoga an important hobby because it helps keep the mind clear and supports concentration. It provides a healthy counterweight to analytical work.
When asked to name his particular strength, he answers: “My skill is the ability to learn. All my expertise is based on that. Learning contributes the most to career growth.”
