Mobile developer moving to Helsinki

[Deimos]

Hello everyone,

I'm 27 years old Android developer with 2 years professional experience planning to move to Finland on September. In fact I won't be moving alone - my girlfriend just got accepted in Erasmus program and she will be studying at the University of Helsinki. We are both EU citizens and we're planning to stay in Finland for much longer than my girlfriend's Erasmus scholarship - I think this may be a great chance to settle down somewhere, build a house and plant a tree I was sweeping through this forum looking for IT jobs info and I got a bit scared. Is it really that hard to find a job in IT after the "Nokia incident"? Maybe on this forum I have a chance to find someone actually working in IT who could provide more data on that issue.

I'm aware that knowledge of Finnish language is definitely a large gain to potential employment chances. Are there any additional aspects I should consider before moving to Finland?

I'd be very grateful for any information. Thanks in advance.

[Adrian42]

When you want to find work in Finland without speaking Finnish, then the best chances are in IT. That's good news for you. I would say perhaps half of the job offers in IT require speaking Finnish, but for the other half speaking only English is good enough.

Compared to the population of Finland, Nokia was (and still is) a huge company.

Nokia itself has laid off several thousand people in IT in Finland alone (not counting people laid off in non-IT or outside of Finland), and many more IT jobs in Finland have been lost in companies working for and around Nokia.

The result is that there are many unemployed people in IT in Finland at the moment.

But there are also regularly jobs offered in IT. If you are good in your field you will find a job, but if you are not good all the jobs you apply for will go to other applicants.

That's where it also matters much what exactly is behind your "Android developer with 2 years professional experience": 2 years of publishing a few self-written apps in Google Play without much success? Or 2 years of job experience after completing your Masters degree in Computer Science, you are a Java guru and know the whole Android stack from the kernel to the SDK in all details?

Check what skills exactly are searched for in job offers in Finland that look interesting for you, compare them with the skills you have at the moment, and use the 6 months until you move to Finland for improving your skills accordingly.

[Jussi]

You perhaps want to link to your linked in or CV so that those who work in the IT field can pass it on to their colleagues...

[Deimos]

Thank you for your answers. I have Master in Computer Science (Software Engineering field) so here's another question: are foreign diplomas valid instantly (of course after translating them to English/Finnish) or do I have to take some kind of official process of validation of foreign studies and degrees?

[Adrian42]

Thank you for your answers. I have Master in Computer Science (Software Engineering field) so here's another question: are foreign diplomas valid instantly (of course after translating them to English/Finnish) or do I have to take some kind of official process of validation of foreign studies and degrees?

Formally, you don't need any education for working in the positions you want to work in (except for some special cases like universities). So there is no validity of any kind required.

It is up to the employer to decide whether he cares about your studies at all, or about where it was. In practice, especially smaller companies often care more about your skills and recent work experience than about your university record.

I don't see any reason why it would make sense for you to get your diploma translated into Finnish, but having an official English translation is a good idea.

[geek5354]

On the networking front, I remember there was an Android community/school club at Aalto University. I don't know much about it. I think their website is http://androidaalto.org.

I don't know how popular Android is in the land of Nokia but maybe there are also other similar communities you can hook up with.

[Adrian42]

Nokia has been hiring mainly Indians,

Where did you get that information from?

Nokia is not hiring that much in India (where they also fired several hundred people in IT), today Nokia is hiring IT people mostly in the US, China and Germany,

[Adrian42]

Nokia has been hiring mainly Indians,

Where did you get that information from?

I know people who work there, we discussed it.

Really hiring, or only subcontracting?

Nokia has always, and is still, subcontracting much work to other companies. It is completely normal that employees of Indian companies like Wipro (and many other Finnish and non-Finnish companies) come for a few years of on-site work at Nokia to Finland.

Is the company these people have their employment contract with Nokia or some Indian company?

Plus, extra verification: dating sites are filled with Indians who are looking for a Finnish gf and work for Nokia.

Not being lonely is nice.

And getting a Residence Permit based on family ties is a bonus.

Whether they are employees of Nokia or of a subcontracted company is not visible that way.

[abg]

Intel is hiring Android developers to their Espoo office. There are also Samsung and HTC looking for Linux and Android developers in the capital areas. You can use their corporate web sites to find exact career opportunities.

Regarding diplomas, if you ever decided to work in a regulated profession in Finland, you need to work out your path here: http://www.oph.fi/english/mobility/reco ... ifications
Here is the list of regulated professions: http://www.oph.fi/english/mobility/reco ... in_finland