Do you have a favourite thing about working at Valispace?
It’s more or less two things. The flexibility is great in that you can basically go according to your own schedule. I also really like that Valispace is used for really amazing projects that just make life better.
How does it feel to make something that rocket scientists work on?
It’s like the only thing I can actually imagine working on. It’s fun, right? I also sometimes do some freelance projects on the side and I have never done projects that were just kind of…boring!? Like I would never work on an ecommerce project or something like that.
For me, whatever you are working on has to be fascinating. In these modern times I think there’s a lot of smart people that go to work in fintech or something that’s not really making the entirety of humanity better, right? People just try to make some money out of their skills. But I think it’s always important to do something that’s really cool, fascinating and that helps everyone. At Valispace, it’s good to see that people use the software to build satellites and develop the next generation of some kind of tech.
Do you have an engineering background? Was it hard to relate to the end user when you first joined?
I did a bachelors in applied physics so I would say it’s more science background than engineering. I don’t think it helped me relate to the end user so much though. I understand the pains they face but I think most of the problems that we solve for them, you would only experience if you worked on them.
I have built actual hardware before so I know how it works from the entire design of a product. It was a measurement device to test photosensors, like a box that was testing super sensitive light sensors. I was there throughout the entire process from designing the thing and then interacting with electronics guys, mechanical guys etc to build the parts and assemble everything. So, I basically understood the product design flow on a small scale and I can empathise with engineers, but the people that use Valispace, they are dealing with thousands or hundreds of thousands of requirements, not like 20 or 100!
The only thing you should probably have is some curiosity about engineering itself and technology. But, at least in the beginning, you don’t really need to understand how engineering flow works to be able to deliver value.
Toni on tips for developers wanting to work at Valispace
Being a developer here means that lots of engineers need to be able to trust completely in the code that you write. Mistakes could have disastrous consequences. Does this change your way of working in any way?
I don’t think so. I mean, you think it would but the problem that these companies have is so severe that they put trust in new software that isn’t fully established yet. Instead of being worried about the software breaking, I think for us it’s more critical at the moment to really make sure that whatever customers try to do, that it’s possible with the software.
The customers will push the software to the edge, and that’s where we start fixing or optimizing. I think Valispace is walking this middle road where we try to deliver as much value and at the same time being as reliable and safe as possible.
Tips for anyone that would like to join Valispace as a developer? (What about if they have no technical engineering experience)
I think if you don’t have a background in engineering, it’s not a big problem. From what I’ve seen, most people that work in software don’t actually have a background in engineering. I think if you can understand software engineering (which is one of the most complex things you can do at the moment) then you probably also have the right understanding of logic to understand what engineers do.
The only thing you should probably have is some curiosity about engineering itself and technology. But, at least in the beginning, you don’t really need to understand how engineering flow works to be able to deliver value.
Finally, how do you switch off?
It’s going to the beach and going surfing. I especially like to go in the off-season, like anywhere between autumn and spring. In the winter it’s nice to crack a few beers, surf a bit, have some good seafood and enjoy the sun.
I like hanging out in the parks here too but I feel that in the summer when there’s not a lot of swell in the ocean, I can definitely feel my stress levels build up. But if I get into the water like once or twice a week, then there’s really nothing that can stress me. Surfing is my way of balancing meditation, exercise and relaxation.
Are you a software developer and curious to see how your code can help empower engineers to build the next generation of hardware and tech? Visit valispace.com/careers and send a spontaneous application today.