​1. What made you interested in the Giant Leap internship program?
I had heard good things about the Giant Leap program from two of my friends who had been in the program previously. The program is also promoted and marketed efficiently; I got a proper introduction of Vaisala as a company, and the Giant Leap internship program, at the Yrityspäivät recruitment event that was held at the Tampere University of Technology (TUT). Even at first sight the Giant Leap projects seemed challenging and interesting to me.

2. Could you tell us a little bit about your internship project at Vaisala?
My project was about Vaisala’s software business and how software will become an increasingly significant part of the Vaisala portfolio in the future. My job included benchmarking visits to other businesses, covering literature that has been written about my topic, and interviewing people within Vaisala. The purpose of my project has been to investigate how Vaisala could improve its operations and make the business profitable within the software industry.

3. What is your educational background? Do you feel that you could apply your skills and knowledge during your time at Vaisala?
I have studied at the Tampere University of Technology for four years now. My major is Industrial Management and my minors are Production Engineering and Medical Technology. I have almost completed my Master of Science in Engineering degree with only a few courses and my thesis to go. The classes under Industrial Management have provided me with an extensive and thorough understanding of how businesses operate. I noticed that I was able to combine information from my Marketing, Accounting, and Technology Management classes and I am, therefore, able to understand the industry and Vaisala’s business much better.

4. What have you learned from the internship?
Most importantly I learned a lot about Vaisala as a company, its business, and the industry in general. In addition, I learned the basic principles of the software industry. It is impossible to list everything that I learned here, since the entire Giant Leap program and all the tasks related to my project have been extremely educative. Best of all, I will come to remember all the meetings, interviews, and presentations.

5. How would you describe Vaisala as an employer to students who are seeking an internship?
Vaisala’s business is very wide-ranging. This is demonstrated in the Giant Leap projects as well; challenging projects come from all parts of the organization and, therefore, they are suitable for students with different educational backgrounds. Vaisala takes good care of its employees and the Giant Leap projects are truly significant for the entire organization. Add to this all the pastime activities that the interns organize among themselves and you can easily get the idea that it will certainly not be a boring summer. Therefore, I want to encourage you to apply to the Giant Leap program next year!