People of Evermade – part 1
Say hi to Tuulikki, Juha and Joonas!
Welcome. You are about to enter the first episode of our new blog series, People of Evermade. In the following weeks we are going to take a look at the people who make Evermade great.
In the first episode we sat down and had a talk with three developers. What is the value of development to the world? What kind of person wants to combine pizza and pineapple?
Let’s find out.
Tuulikki Laine
WHEN DID YOU JOIN EVERMADE AND WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN FOCUS AREAS HERE?
I have been in the Evermade team for about 4 months. I do full-stack web development. I work with code that makes a website function like it should, as well as with code that makes the site look like it should.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A WEB DEVELOPER?
I’ve always loved solving problems – from small puzzles to bigger challenges. This is basically what web development is all about. Doing the research, and making a web service build up from nothing. It’s a set of logical and visual puzzles. What’s also great is that you get to see the result of your work quite concretely.
HOW DO YOU IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS?
By doing. I mean, you have to take projects that are nothing like the ones you have done before, and that really takes you forward. Discussions with other developers here at Evermade are also a great way to learn and get new ideas. But, mostly by just doing.
WHY DOES WEB DEVELOPMENT MATTER TO THE WORLD?
Our everyday life is moving fast to the digital world, and it’s mainly up to software to make sure all the services work like they should. There are so many systems we never think about, but without which the society simply would not work.
WHERE DO YOU FIND INNER PEACE?
In a focused flow.
IF YOU COULD KNOW THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH TO ONE QUESTION, WHAT WOULD YOU ASK?
Is there life outside of the Earth?
IN ONE SENTENCE, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE INTERNET?
It’s a cross-section of humankind: a lot of crap and a lot of good stuff… and cat videos.
YOUR THREE FAVORITE ARTISTS?
The Smiths, Amanda Palmer, Radiohead.
Juha Lehtonen
WHEN DID YOU JOIN EVERMADE AND WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN FOCUS AREAS HERE?
Funny story – I joined Evermade 4 years ago as a designer, but was appointed a development project. I didn’t have much coding skills, but over the years, web development has become my main focus area. I still like to help out designers and content people when possible.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A WEB DEVELOPER?
I’ve always been into graphic arts like photography. The technical side intrigued me to understand how the stuff that you don’t normally see on the outside of things works. This presented a natural path to the world of code. Web development combines visual thinking and problem-solving in one package. I’m still interested in design and copywriting, so I will keep on doing different things and see where they lead me.
HOW DO YOU IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS?
A lot of it comes from outside-of-work activities, like crafting small projects and solving problems on the way. I have built for example all kinds of simple web games, a lunch place voting system, and Carebear, a tool that makes our Care-team’s life easier. These projects allow me to experiment with technologies I don’t normally get to use at work. Other than that, I follow industry trends by browsing the internet.
SUPERPOWER OF CHOICE?
No superpowers for me. Life would just get awfully complicated.
WHAT’S IN YOUR FANTASY PIZZA?
Anything goes, as long as pineapple is included.
YOUR FAVORITE EMOJI?
IN ONE SENTENCE, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE INTERNET?
Incredible – one of mankind’s greatest achievements.
Joonas Pyhtilä
WHEN DID YOU JOIN EVERMADE AND WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN FOCUS AREAS HERE?
I joined the team about 3 years ago. I like to think of myself as someone who solves problems, I can make a website behave like I want it to. It can be in the server side or the browser. I have a pretty solid foundation in JavaScript, PHP and CSS.
HOW DID YOU END UP AS A WEB DEVELOPER?
The spark for my developer career ignited already in upper elementary school. Our math teacher held a course where our class built our own websites. Later on I found myself creating sites as a hobby, first personal websites, then for our Diablo 2 guild, and eventually for my bands. Web development became a career after I found an open Junior Web Developer position at MTV (the Finnish one). I got the job and ended up coding things like mtv.fi for the next 7 or so years. Eventually, an irresistible urge to take the next step took over me and I landed here.
HOW DO YOU IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS?
Our dev team is very supportive and skilled, so there’s always something to learn from discussions in Slack and at the office. I take full advantage of our monthly learning days to improve in a familiar subject or acquaint myself with entirely new ones. For example, JavaScript keeps going forward all the time, so it pays to keep an eye on what’s going on in that space.
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF WEB DEVELOPMENT TO THE WORLD?
By creating and improving websites and other web-based services, developers allow companies and others to communicate in the digital environment. We can make it easier for people to find the information they need. Web development also has the potential to push forward good causes that can really change the world.
THE BEST THING ABOUT WORKING AT EVERMADE?
The team is just a group of friends.
YOUR SPECIAL TALENT?
Playing the drums. Ba dum tss.
YOUR FAVORITE PLACE ON EARTH?
Either behind my drums or on the bike with a nice road/trail underneath.
TELL US A RANDOM FACT
We are all built from mass that developed in the stars. So, we are all stars in a way.
IF YOU COULD KNOW THE ABSOLUTE THRUTH TO ONE QUESTION, WHAT WOULD YOU ASK?
What water temperature produces the perfect green tea?
