Ouro’s Senior Developer Matti Kärki is one of our most experienced and longest-serving testers in the IT field. Matti’s background is strongly rooted in software development, but in recent years, he has focused on testing. Read below to find out how Matti’s career path took him from janitorial work to ultimately joining Ouro.
Beginning of the career
Matti’s interest in information technology began in the late 1980s. At that time, devices were expensive, and Matti’s parents were reluctant to invest their money in such things. However, Matti was curious about how computers worked and eagerly watched as his friends played and programmed on their own machines. Eventually, through his father’s job, Matti acquired an old, decommissioned PC, which he began to explore and study what computers was all about. The hardware was not impressive, as it was the MS-DOS era, and the computer only ran text-based applications. At that time, there was no Internet or programming tools available to young enthusiasts, but the desire to understand how computers worked was strong. Matti spent a lot of time in the library learning about the inner workings of computers and how to command them. Evenings were spent programming with whatever tools were available at the time.
When Matti graduated from high school in 1994, he worked as a janitor alongside his studies. He spent all his free time learning programming and various programming languages. Both his teachers and parents expected his career to take off either as a writer or a journalist, but for Matti, it was clear that after graduating, the IT field was where he wanted to pursue his career.
After high school, Matti applied to the Helsinki Institute of Technology to study automation technology, as he needed to pursue some form of education. He left his janitorial job and began his studies in 1995, although they didn’t quite feel like the right fit for him. However, the studies included some programming courses, which helped maintain Matti’s motivation.
Alongside his studies, Matti worked as an IT assistant and as a computer support person in his father’s company. Control CAD Oy, a company specializing in optimizing industrial process control, was looking for summer employees on the institute’s bulletin board. In 1998, Matti got a summer job as a programmer at Control CAD and kind of ended up staying there.
A couple of years later, when Metso acquired Control CAD, Matti transitioned to Metso along with the acquisition to work on the product development of digital valve controllers. Matti ended up spending a couple of decades at Metso. There, he eventually advanced to the position of a chief engineer for PC software, thanks to his extensive experience in configuration and diagnostic applications accumulated over the years.
As a chief engineer, Matti was responsible for the development of product software and served as the project manager for various maintenance and development projects for different products. As a project manager, Matti often received positive feedback for his precision, systematic approach, and ability to see things through to completion. However, over time, the role of chief engineer at Metso proved to be a dead end. There wasn’t much room for movement or advancement beyond his familiar territory. This made Matti question whether he wanted to do this for the rest of his life.
By chance, Philips was looking for experienced product development professionals for their Radiation Oncology unit. An old acquaintance from Philips managed to persuade Matti to apply for the position. Thus, in 2019, Matti joined Philips to develop tools for cancer treatment using MRI devices.
Matti spent two years at Philips in the fascinating world of medical devices, working on application development as well as test automation and manual testing. When Philips unexpectedly decided to move their entire product development unit out of Finland, Matti found himself at a crossroads once again. He began to contemplate the idea of leaving product development coding behind and doing something different for a change.
Matti was fascinated by the world of test automation and received a tip from his supervisor to contact a former colleague, Marta from Ouro, who had transitioned from programming to test automation. The conversation eventually led to Marta inquiring about Matti’s willingness to join the Ouro team, and the rest is history. In addition to Marta, there were other familiar faces in the Ouro team, which only strengthened Matti’s decision to move to Ouro.
What is the best thing about the IT field?
According to Matti, the best thing about working in IT is that programming work is not so much about manipulating tangible things, whether it’s software development or testing, but rather working in the realm of bits, where the laws of physics do not limit creativity as much. With a computer, you can do things that cannot be done manually, and you don’t have to move heavy objects from one place to another. Creativity plays a bigger role, allowing you to develop new solutions to problems. With a computer, you can make the impossible possible.
What made you join Ouro?
Matti had long been contemplating the idea that programming the end-product in product development might not be what he ultimately wanted to do for the rest of his life. This led him to think that working as a tester could be more rewarding. In testing, both the experience accumulated over the years and programming skills are essential. Ouro happened to need a tester, and they had strong confidence in Matti’s abilities.
At Ouro, Matti has appreciated the employee-centric and humane approach. Ouro operates like one big family, and that makes a difference. There is genuine immediacy, and everyone knows each other. Even though employees work in different client organizations and teams, they still maintain their Ouro identity. Matti believes that one of the advantages of a small company is the opportunity to participate in growth and development and the activities they bring.
Who is Matti outside of work?
In his free time, Matti plays computer games both alone and with other Ouro colleagues and friends. Photography has been a lifelong hobby, and Matti is skilled in developing both black-and-white and color film, although digital cameras have become his mainstay. Nature photography is his favorite. His free time also includes aspects related to work, as Matti reads a lot of literature on the history of computer science. Additionally, Matti’s free time is brightened by the two Corgis that are part of his family.
