Life after Hive

There is an increasing demand for skilled coders throughout society in Finland. Hive Helsinki sets out to respond to this demand by offering world-class education in computer science. We had a chat with top professionals from Reaktor and Wolt, two of the companies behind Hive Helsinki, to discover why employers in digital tech value Hive alumni.

At Hive Helsinki, students navigate their way through the study program, which consists of 21 levels. During the studies, students work in teams to solve real-world problems, which simulates a real work environment. The curriculum also includes two internships where the students get to apply what they’ve learned at school and to learn more about working in an employer organization.

However, what’s most important is what Hive alumni do after they’ve finished their studies. We found out what two of the most interesting employers in the Finnish tech scene think about Hive Helsinki.

Coders wanted – Hive Helsinki to the rescue

As the different sectors of society are digitalized, coders are more sought after than ever before.

“There’s a dire need for skilled programmers in Finland, but the depth and severity of the lack of coders has not yet been fully understood. It’s a great time to start a school like Hive – and to have that happen here!” says Juhani Mykkänen, co-founder of Wolt. “For us, this is the right move to make the industry more attractive to an even more diverse crowd,” says Jani Hellström, Head of Communications at Reaktor.

“Based on the curriculum, we’re convinced that Hive Helsinki will have all the elements for success. The content of the curriculum is ambitious, and we find the learning method promising. It’s crucial to be able to collaborate with others,” continues Juha Paananen from Reaktor. Paananen actively facilitates learning and knowledge sharing at Reaktor and also started the Reaktor Kids Coding School a few years ago.

Build a future-proof skill set at Hive Helsinki

Students of Hive Helsinki are offered a lot of freedom in terms of their curriculum, which can feel overwhelming to a newbie, but is also very empowering. Just what are employers looking for in a programmer?

“It’s important to understand that concrete skills are what most employers value. To me, Hive is an awesome balance to, say, more academically-oriented university courses,” states Mykkänen. Hive Helsinki’s curriculum has been designed as 100 percent practical and applicable when solving real-world problems. “In my view, the Hive curriculum has cut the right corners. The focus is on what matters in terms of working life,” says Mykkänen.

For Reaktor, the ability to adapt and collaboration are key. “As a consultancy that serves a wide range of industries, we need to be versatile. For our experts, it's essential to know their way around multiple technologies and tools and pick up new things along the way. We believe the students can benefit from this approach regardless of which company or organization they end up working for,” Hellström says.

“At Reaktor, we do everything in teams, so we need people who can collaborate. Moreover, as a company and as people, we’re excited about learning new stuff, so continuous learning is important to us,” says Paananen.

Secure employment after graduation

Hive Helsinki’s curriculum requires two internships of 4-6 months to be completed. Internships are important opportunities to learn more practical working life skills and to connect with interesting people and organizations. Moreover, internships help students discover what it is that they really want to do with their life.

Based on alumni data from Hive Helsinki’s international sister schools, all alumni find employment after graduation. In fact, most of them are offered a job before they graduate. Alumni work in various industries, and many start their own company. Are you ready to find your own career path?

Strategy, design and engineering company Reaktor and food delivery app Wolt are Hive Helsinki’s partner organizations.