This month we got to interview Web Developer JP who creates Foodie’s customer-facing services together with his team. Find out what he thinks about the Foodie culture and how well the reality matches with his expectations.
Hi JP. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Juha-Pekka Yliselä, and I’m originally from Järvenpää, some 40 kilometers north of Helsinki. I graduated from my studies in Media Engineering at EVTEK/Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in 2012 before settling down to Kamppi, where I’ve lived for a few years now.
What do you do at Digital Foodie?
I work in front-end web development, which means we create Foodie’s customer-facing services on the web. We make applications for the browser in languages such as Ruby, Javascript and HTML/CSS. And as we work in teams we collaborate with project managers, customers and backend/devops/QA engineers.
How did you hear about Digital Foodie or did you know about it beforehand?
I was working at a digital advertising agency in early 2013, when I was contacted by a recruiter. I’d always been curious about working at a startup, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity. I’d heard something about the delivery service in Helsinki, but only then did I realize Digital Foodie was the company behind it.
What caught your attention in the company?
The thing that drew me in was that the business idea made total sense to me immediately. I also started using the delivery service myself right after the first interview. And the company had already proved they could create a credible product with a serious client and had plans for expanding internationally, which sounded like an exciting challenge to me.
How was the start? Can you tell us a little bit about your first week?
First I set up my environment, and got familiar with the ways of working at Foodie, and the others were very welcoming in helping out whenever I needed. But pretty much straight away I was working on my first user interface features.
Does the company seem how you thought it would be?
Pretty much exactly. The internationalisation has gotten off to a great start, and even as the company has grown, I feel like the culture has remained very similar from the time I joined.
Can you describe the work culture at Foodie with three words?
Professional, easy-going, diverse.
What do you like about your job?
I love making good-looking user interfaces and features that give people real value. Compared to my previous work, working at Foodie gives me the opportunity to really think in a product-oriented way in making features as modular and configurable as possible, which I find challenging and interesting.
What are you hoping to learn / gain experience of at Digital Foodie?
My primary interest is in experiencing working at a startup first-hand, and being a part of a growing international company. Technology-wise, my focus has been more in front-end side of development, which is what I’d say I’m most passionate about.
I love making good-looking user interfaces and features that give people real value. Working at Foodie gives me the opportunity to really think in a product-oriented way in making features as modular and configurable as possible.
What kind of plans do you have for your career in the future?
I might be interested in a more international role at some point, and Digital Foodie seems to be certainly moving in that direction as well.
What kinds of hobbies/passions do you have outside of working at Digital Foodie?
Playing and listening to various types of music is a big one, I also love playing football and pretending to know how to surf, heh. Besides that I’m always interested in learning new things and traveling to new places.
Thank you for the interview, JP!
New game, new rules: What grocers need to focus on to Maximize Value from Digital... 