The internship program was my turning point
Last year, a handful of managers at SEB were mentors to interns via Jobbsprånget – Sweden’s largest internship programme for foreign academics. One of the interns to join the bank was Prasuna, who has now worked as a Frontend Developer within Savings Offerings for almost a year. She tells us about her career journey and why she enjoys working at SEB.
In 2017, Prasuna moved from India to Sweden together with her family. Despite previous studies in mathematics, electronics and physics, as well as a master’s degree in Computer Applications, entering the Swedish job market proved to be harder than expected.
– In India, I worked as a maths teacher and had experience as a Web Developer. When I moved to Sweden, I was eager to experience the work culture and continue my professional career. So, I joined different courses, for example at IT-högskolan and KTH, and also had an internship at a startup company. That was a good way for me to gain more work experience and to learn technical and professional terms in Swedish.
– With these experiences, I created a profile and applied for Jobbsprånget, which I had heard about through social media and some of my friends who were also able to join larger companies through the internship programme. Jobbsprånget considers genuine candidates with relevant experiences who want to grow their careers, which I appreciate. Fortunately, I got an internship offer from SEB, and that was really my turning point. Just after the first meeting with my manager, I felt that the team was a perfect match and that my experiences and interests were valued. It took some time to get here, but it was a really good feeling.
What was the onboarding process like?
– As I started as an intern, I had a set schedule during my first few months here. Each week I got to sit down with different teams to get a better business overview and had the opportunity to attend several employee courses. The subject of these courses has ranged from testing and general domain knowledge to more technical matters. I have also learned about various perspectives and how to work with modules, pipelines, integration and deployment. The learning curve has been steep and at times quite challenging, especially as the banking domain is new to me. However, I find SEB to be a very structured organisation that has provided me with many important tools, such as a mentor and valuable guidance from my team members. It has helped me build more confidence, and I keep improving with every task.
Tell us more about your current role!
– I’m currently working as a Frontend Developer within Savings Offerings in the Savings and Investing Channel. Our team is responsible for developing and maintaining the savings functionality in our digital channels, such as the web and mobile app, which is currently our main priority. My specific responsibilities mostly revolve around different frontend tasks, which include planning and implementing solutions based on business requirements, integration of APIs, unit testing and analytics. Technology-wise, I mainly work with Typescript, Angular, Bootstrap, Jasmine, GitHub, Azure DevOps and Elastic. I really enjoy working with challenging tasks.
What are your goals for the future?
– My manager and I have set up a development plan, and I have very clear goals for my career. On a more long-term note, I would like to become a Full-Stack Developer so that I can contribute to all aspects of the development process. However, this year I’m mostly focusing on my specific area and trying to complete all my tasks and lessons. My long-term goals involve growing within SEB, where I can continue to learn, take on additional responsibilities, and contribute as much value as I can.
