Toni & Thu Nha blogged about their work experiences at Vaisala. Both of them have studied in Aalto University and started their Vaisala career as trainees in summer 2015 and continued onboard. Currently, Thu Nha works in our Global Sourcing team and Toni on his master’s thesis in R&D. Take a look at what they have to say about Vaisala, a global leader in environmental and industrial measurement that has been helping to predict the unpredictable for over 80 years.
Starting as a Giant Leap Intern & Summer Trainee
Thu Nha: “I started at Vaisala as a Giant Leap intern in 2015 in our sourcing team which was a really good opportunity for me to kick start my career. The program is for students with 3 + years of studies in various fields of education. The project topics deal with real business needs and practical problems from various parts of the organization, which makes the projects interesting and diverse. Regardless of the university or program you are studying in, you just need to show your true interest and your potential what you can do and what you want to learn and develop. Obviously, the projects are challenging, especially in the short limit time of three months but not lacking of fun activities.”
Toni: “In 2015 I was studying my fourth year of Electrical Engineering studies in Aalto University. I had applied for Vaisala Giant Leap program and was accepted to interviews. Unfortunately I was surrounded with really good applicants and for the position I was considered, they found a more suitable applicant. A month after the interviews my interviewer contacted me again and told me that he could have a trainee position for me for the summer. Ending up well, in the beginning of the summer I started my career at Vaisala. Summer went by quickly as my work was to build new prototypes for a new growing R&D project and doing necessary tests for the devices. I had to learn a lot of new things to be able to do my job and collaborate with the quick moving project team to get the project forward.”
Staying onboard as Project Coordinator & Thesis Worker
Thu Nha: “I stayed onboard after my Giant Leap summer in our sourcing team. Currently, I am working in the Global Sourcing team as a Project Coordinator for production technology transfer. I analyze Vaisala’s suppliers and check if there is any demand of the components that we still need to procure more. What I like about this job is that I can interact with many colleagues from different backgrounds. That helps me to learn different things in the product development, operation and supply chain.”
Toni: “After the summer I had to go back to continue my studies, but I was lucky enough to also continue working at Vaisala as a part-time trainee, coming in twice a week. I kept working on the same project, building prototypes and helping where I could. It required some effort to balance work and studies, but my contract with Vaisala was flexible and my manager was understanding and helpful, which made it all much easier. I am currently starting my master thesis at Vaisala. The topic came through the project I’ve been working on and matches with my studies from electric grids and high voltage technology, because Vaisala has products in many fields of industry.”
Putting studies into practice
Thu Nha: “I’m lucky that what I am doing now is related to what I’ve studied. I graduated from Information and Service Management (ISM), specialty in Logistics and Service Management in Aalto Business School. The program provides me the basic background in Information Management. Through my studies, I gained basic understanding of product data information in ERP systems, as well as, the knowledge to analyze and optimize data in production, inventory and complex supply chain. There are lot of work opportunities where you can apply after graduating from ISM.”
Supportive working environment with wide range of opportunities at Vaisala
Thu Nha: “I really enjoy working at Vaisala because of the company’s meaningful business but also the working environment which is open-minded and low-hierarchy. You always have opportunities to develop yourself and there are many new things that you can learn every day.”
Toni: “There is a lot of work for electronics designers, software developers, mechanics designers, scientists and engineers alike, as Vaisala puts a big effort to develop product design. I like this because you get to see how all the different fields of expertise combined is what makes the product. Vaisala is a company that I would definitely like to continue working for after graduation, because of the working opportunities and challenges provided.”
Vaisala offers a career with scope and purpose, not to mention an exciting future. Who wouldn’t like a chance to work with cutting-edge technologies, industry-leading products and 1,600 top-notch professionals worldwide? We take pride in being innovative pioneers who strive to bring about positive changes in both the society and environment, and our world is not quite ready yet. Find out about our career opportunities on our career site.