The university became a springboard for a new career
Mattis Wintélius moved a thousand kilometres south to study at Kristianstad University. And today, his colleagues at Ericsson, as well as the cats at home, benefit from his skills as an engineer.
After graduating, Mattis Wintélius and his classmates have chosen slightly different paths. One became an IT consultant within the municipality and another is working with surveillance. Mattis himself works at Ericsson in Lund.
– To work on things that affect people in their everyday life, that is what I enjoy.
Mattis Wintélius welcomes people down in the reception at his new place of work, telecommunications giant Ericsson's four-storey building in northern Lund. Here, the Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Kristianstad University has found both colleagues and work duties that he likes. And he can also see a professional future for himself here – something he lacked at home in Östersund.
– For several years I had a rather dead-end and monotonous office job. But then I reached a point where I felt that I wanted to develop, to move on. Although I didn't really know which direction to go in.
He had always liked mathematics, and had been doing some programming in his spare time. He researched various higher education courses and decided on the three-year Bachelor Programme in Computer Science at Kristianstad University.
– Many other IT courses were limited and specific, but this particular course was quite broad. I thought it could work well as a springboard to something else.
”I'm sure you could buy something similar, but it's more fun to construct your own.”
He packed his bags and headed a thousand kilometres south. He had never set foot in Kristianstad before and had no relatives or friends there.
– My expectations of the programme were not particularly high. I had only requested six months off from work, so that I could return if things didn't work out.
But Mattis from Jämtland began really liking northeastern Skåne, despite the autumn soon turning into a green and mild winter.
– Most of all, I enjoyed working with hardware. To understand how microprocessors work.
He describes that we are surrounded by small computerised systems: in household appliances, in webcams, in cars, etcetera. Together with a few classmates, he built an irrigation system, with which sensors in the ground measured and told you via your phone if potted plants needed water.
He also tested various technological solutions in his spare time. For example a feeder apparatus connected to his phone, which made sure that the three cats at home could be fed remotely.
– I'm sure you could buy something similar, but it's more fun to construct your own, says Mattis Wintélius.
The internship lead to a job
He never really had a plan or idea about what he wanted to work with after graduating. Being new to Skåne, he did not have a network or contacts in the area, although he was involved in the Student Union's education committee. While meeting with various employers, he received an offer for an internship at the telecommunications company Ericsson.
In November, he stepped inside the doors of the huge building in northern Lund, to begin a two-day-a-week internship that would last until January. However, as Christmas was approaching, he was asked if he wanted to continue working for the company after he had graduated.
– It was a relief. Sure, it was a little confusing at first, with all the different programming languages. It was important to be familiar with Linux and the version-control software Git. But I'm getting by anyway. If it becomes too advanced, I can always ask the others in the team. Ericsson may be a large company, but my colleagues are helpful.
At Ericsson, work is underway to switch to the new 5G network. Mattis Wintélius describes how he faces new challenges every day.
”At the same time, it's fun to work with things that affect people in their everyday life.”
– This is not something that you can do in your sleep. At the same time, it's fun to work with things that affect people in their everyday life. But if you grow tired of it, you can always find new opportunities within the company, as Ericsson has various businesses and many offices both in Sweden and around the world.
So far he has not had any regrets about leaving behind his home city of Östersund and moving south to Kristianstad.
– It was obviously a bonus that I met my future wife at university as well. She studied to become a dental hygienist, and a while ago we got married. So no, I don't regret it whatsoever.
Written by: Kerstin Weman Thornell