I’m often asked how we work with students at Sievo, and if it’s really worth the effort. My short answer is always: definitely yes! I wanted to write this post to share how we work with students at Sievo and what the benefits are.
Most universities have corporate collaboration programs and Sievo has a long history in participating as a company sponsor. For example, the 6 month long Aalto Software Project course has been a great asset in creating software. We also have an internship program where we hire students as “Summer Seals” into several teams across the company.We believe every company should work with students, the benefits are great to both the students and the company. Many of our current Sievonians are former students who have joined the company through student collaboration.
“I liked the opportunity to combine ideas, skills and points of view with people from different background like business, design and engineering. This multidisciplinary approach challenges everybody to think differently, and learn new things.”
Teemu Saravirta I Aalto project and Summer employeeThe greatest benefit in working with students who do not know your company and service too well is that they bring in tons of fresh ideas. Employees who know the business in and out are great at considering all aspects of a service, but when it comes to ideating something new, they can get stuck in old ways of working.
Bringing in a bunch of students who have no idea about technical restrictions and why your services work in the way they do often come up with the best new ideas. Co-creating these wild ideas together with employees who understand the business creates a perfect match that keeps coming up with totally new services that can actually be implemented.
“The experience of working at Sievo was a great complement to the more theoretical knowledge learnt from the university. Collaborating with senior developers has taught me more concise and elegant ways of programming and I can definitely say that I've matured as a developer.”
Anton Pirhonen I Aalto project and Summer employee
Student work does not have to be limited to only fresh ideas: the real value is created when students build a working prototype of a new service. Student-built prototypes and minimum viable products (MVP) are definitely the most cost-effective way to test out new ideas before you decide if they could fly.
Students will utilize the latest technologies and often intuitively create a user experience you would otherwise spend months finetuning. They are also happy to scrap something that does not work and quickly try something else. You will most likely end up with something very useful, even without giving too strict guidelines.
”Working with Sievo, especially at the beginning of my studies, gave a good idea of what real working life can be. This helped to plan my studies and find direction.”
Sofia Tengvall I Summer employee for two years
We all have some bigger projects in mind that we just have not gotten to because of the urgent daily tasks. A perfect way to kickstart that type of project is to let someone else gather material and do the interesting but time-consuming background work. Why not let a student write their thesis on the subject?
The fact that the research helps your work ensures you are engaged in the subject and give all the support needed for a good outcome. This also creates a great incentive for the student who knows the exercise is not only academic but has real business benefits.
“I thought my thesis was supposed to be a boring and never-ending project but instead, it was very fun and inspiring to work with designers from Sievo, interview people from Sievo's network and to be in such an exciting and supportive atmosphere.”
Maria Yakovleva I Employee who wrote her thesis at Sievo
Last but not least, students bring a great vibe to the office. Having people around with different backgrounds, skills and education really makes those coffee break discussions interesting and can even give some new ideas to that old-timer who has always been with the company.
“Students are like the pulse of fresh saltwater into the Gulf of Finland. They bring in fresh ideas and ensure the Sievo stays vital.“
Sammeli Sammalkorpi I CEO & Co-founder of Sievo
Want to know more about summer positions at Sievo? Check out our Careers page