Petter Hansen Østvold: In it for the long run

- I attended BI where I studied finance. Afterwards, I started working in a bank. The transition to Tietoevry's business area Banking is therefore logical from a financial perspective, and in addition, I get to pursue my nearly lifelong interest in technology.

Petter has been interested in technology from an early age and has been responsible for IT in various forms at previous employers.

- I took IT courses over a year through Noroff. Moreover, it's incredible how much one learns on the job. A good combination of formal education and 'on the job training' in other words.

Petter is by no means the only one with a far from ordinary background on his team.

- We have a colleague who previously worked with film editing, one who is a former police officer, while we obviously also have team members with a master's in technology and others who have worked with IT and banking products for years. We are a diverse group when it comes to age as well, ranging from the 20s to the 60s. I like that.

A product everyone knows

Petter and his team work with the systems that manage payment cards for several Nordic and European banks. Working with a product everyone is familiar with has its positive sides.

- When I worked in the bank, I thought that cards were a bit boring, but working with the systems behind the scenes is anything but boring. For one thing, the industry is developing quickly, with cards now integrated into phones, perhaps soon one will get a chip in your hand or a lens in your eye; things are happening! Besides, it's something everyone knows and has opinions about. It makes it interesting to discuss with people. What do my friends think about having a lens on the eye, and will the family want to get a chip in their hand? Such questions speed up the discussions.

Great opportunities

For Petter, one of the best things about working at Tietoevry is that the company is so large. It offers great opportunities, while things are in order.

- I'm a bit of a fan of routines and processes being set, that things flow as they should. That's an advantage of large companies – they have control over such things.

Moreover, many people and different departments offer greater opportunities for career development.

- You come into contact with so many colleagues in a company like Tietoevry, plus there's so much happening on different fronts. That constantly presents opportunities.

And opportunities are something that Petter has seized in a short time.

- I am now moving into a role as a product manager, an opportunity I just had to seize. It's more than I could have expected in the year I've been here.

In the long run

With many opportunities, there's a good chance that Petter will stay with Tietoevry for a long time. And enduring over time is something Petter is good at in his spare time.

- I do ultrarunning and run 50-100 kilometers a week. I do this either in the morning before work or in the middle of the day and then pick up work again in the evening. It's flexible enough here that I can largely control it myself.

Petter believes he becomes a much better colleague by being able to pursue his hobby.

- Running gives me a great sense of achievement, a confidence that rubs off at work.
Besides, I stay healthy and fit by running – which is also positive in a work context.