Anttoni: What kind of mentor I needed
For me, it’s important that my mentor is someone I look up to. That’s why I specifically wanted to ask Auli to be my mentor, as she has achieved career milestones that I hope to reach one day. Besides her professional success, I also admire her relaxed approach to work and how approachable she is. Auli is super!
Auli: Why I said yes to mentoring
Over a year ago, Anttoni told me at the coffee machine, that he wanted to ask me something. When I figured out what the question was, I was extremely flattered and happy. Taking the initiative to ask for a mentor already shows what a smart young man he is.
He has experience in entrepreneurship as well as in the dev and data domains. During our sessions, Anttoni often picked up a marker and naturally started facilitating our discussions on the whiteboard, so I wasn’t surprised that his new career direction was found in the Datanomics team, where a broad perspective on things and good social skills are an asset. I will always be available for future discussions, even though the official mentoring program is over. I will certainly follow Anttoni’s career with interest.
Anttoni: Confirmation for my thinking
The best books are those that tell you what you know already. The same goes for mentoring. I got confirmation from Auli on the ideas I already had, and we together formulated a plan on how to make them happen. We didn’t strictly follow any pre-set structure; instead, we sparred on topics that were relevant at the time. This worked well for me since I still can’t definitively say what I want to do when I grow up. Throughout the process, the focus shifted multiple times, but that was expected.
Auli: Mentoring is here to stay
I find mentoring to be incredibly rewarding and meaningful alongside my regular job—it’s almost a passion. It’s great and important that Solita provides the framework, context, and support for mentoring. This ensures that the next generation of consultants will be even more capable than the previous.
My journey as a mentor is still in its early stages, but motivation is likely the most crucial success factor for development in this skill area as well. Having been through various roles and organisations, I’m happy to serve as a sparring partner during transitional phases. The topics of discussion can include career direction, skills and capabilities, and managing overall life balance. Recently, another mentee reached out to me outside of the program, and I’ve already committed to a senior mentoring pilot. It seems that Anttoni’s question has turned a whole new page in my career. An interesting journey lies ahead!
Anttoni: My new career path at Solita
After the holidays, I switched from the data management cell to the Design & Strategy unit, where I started in the role of Data Business Designer. Both in my new and old roles there is no exact description of what I do day-to-day. And that’s a good thing because it means my work isn’t monotonous and boring. Here the tasks of a Data Business Designer depend heavily on the individual’s competencies and strengths, and there aren’t even two experts in our team who are exactly the same. Our clients and projects are also diverse; some examples could be:
- Collaborating with company leadership to develop a data strategy and vision, along with an implementation plan
- Assessing how to extract more business value from a data catalog
- Conducting a business value-driven data governance/data management needs assessment
- Creating and implementing a plan to develop data literacy across the organisation
A common goal for all Datanomists is to ensure the long-term value generation of technology projects for the business. Besides technology and business, this also involves topics like ensuring successful change in ways of working at the individual and organisational levels. I see my role as translating strategic work into practice. Due to my technical background, outlining practical implementation for high-level plans happens quite naturally.
We do not want Solitans to be stuck in their career paths, but to ensure their growth. Wanna join a company where this is supported? See our open positions!
