Johan Häger

Tell us a little about your background:
I’m Johan, a 25-year-old Karlstad inhabitant who lived in Karlstad for almost 20 years. The computer has been around for a long time in my life, but it was only in high school that programming came into the picture. There I followed the technology program, with a focus on Web & Multimedia, fiving into programming as well as web design and media management in the Adobe library. I then acquired a Master of Science, specialized in computer engineering, at Karlstad University, to deepen my knowledge of programming. I got my degree the spring of 2015, after doing the thesis at Sogeti Karlstad office.

My career at Sogeti:
My career at Sogeti began even before I was hired. I did my thesis project at the Sogeti Karlstad office, that led to a job. The thesis was a thrilling investigation of Google Glass, and thus contained a lot of Android content. I have also been testing the mobile platform a bit in various smaller projects during my period of employment, but mainly I have coded in C#, for Stora Enso‘s MES projects upgrading their PaperLine-system. That and the fact that I was “mobile” made me a fit for Volvo projects in China, where I am now. Here, in Zhangjiakou, the small village of 8 million inhabitants, Volvo has its relatively new factory a new system that demanded, and still requires, IT support, which I now act as. To work in a completely different culture is both instructive and super fun!

What are you passionate about most in your area of expertise?
Solving problems. As a general rule, I think it is fun to work with both backend and frontend, large systems as well as smaller mobile projects. The best thing about software development is when you find the solution to a problem and feel you have accomplished something. In our world, it can be anything between something I figured out regarding a specific calculation to making a user interface more user-friendly.

What does an ordinary workday look like?
After the bus stops at the factory and the coffee machine is loaded, we usually have time for small talk with colleagues. Then the day begins with a morning meeting where we go through today's planning and highlights the potential problems that need to be taken care of. Then, it is full speed ahead. The Chinese operators wander to their respective stations and the production starts. At that point, it is on my part to make sense of how to solve the IT problems that come up and ensure that production can run smoothly. One of the Chinese operators usually comes by and snatches you, end then you try your best to find out what the error is. Since many cannot speak more English than "not okay", the internationally accepted body language is often the most effective one. Sogeti does not manage the development. That is handled by GE in collaboration with Volvo themselves. Usually, the problems are well-known and are about to be fixed, but then again new errors are also reported so that the system can be as bug-free as soon as possible. Lunch takes place at the local canteen, which serves Chinese food, as well as attempts to offer Western meals (spaghetti with onion chunks and tomato sauce tends to be the most successful).

Why did you decide to start working at Sogeti?
On one hand, it seemed quite natural to apply when I did the thesis here, but at the same time, I was aware of Sogeti already at the University. Sogeti markets themselves very well, with good values and inspiring employees. Onsite, I discovered how good the atmosphere was. I think Sogeti has a very welcoming and warm aura, and you often have a lot of fun at work. Sogeti describes themselves with “Local touch – Global reach” which clearly shows how well they know the local businesses while at the same time as a consultant, with a little luck, you can be sent all the way over to China to work too. We have fun, both at and after work.

Tell us something we don't already know about you? 
I love photography. Especially now that I have been in China, there have been many nice "photo-ops" where the camera has popped up. Although the technical knowledge in the area is relatively low, I still think it is fun to try to capture the moment in a photo.