Viktor Rosvall's interest in programming started at a young age. As a teenager he took his hobby one step further and started studying computer science, firstly at upper secondary school and then university. This continued when he did his dissertation at Monitor and got a permanent job at the company.

Viktor has long been interested in programming. He used to write a lot of code for websites, games, etc. in his free time. It was a hobby he partly inherited from his father.

“I studied computer science at upper secondary school in Ånge. It was a good course; most of the things we did at university I’d already tried at high school." He then studied Computer Science at the University of Mid-Sweden. “I’d always wanted to be a programmer,” says Viktor.

His father works as a CAD designer at a manufacturing company in his home town – with an ERP system called Monitor. When Viktor worked there during the summers – with everything from CAD to assembly and dispatch of products – he came into contact with Monitor as a user. But now, as a 25 year old, he looks at ERP from a whole new perspective.

“I didn’t know so much about Monitor as a company, though dad had always said they were always good to deal with. It seemed like a good company to work at.

When the time came to do my dissertation I took up an offer from Monitor and chose a field that seemed interesting. That is, to look into how an upgrade from .NET Framework to .NET Core could work, and the benefits and challenges associated.

Monitor received Viktor’s application, and he soon moved from Ånge to Hudiksvall, where he loaned an apartment from Monitor while doing his dissertation. This gave him a taste for the job.

“I had a really good supervisor and got a lot of help from everyone in the team. Everyone wanted to help out,” he says.

He recalls expecting high standards from himself and wanting to do well. But it was a challenge at first to understand the relatively complex code that makes up the Monitor ERP system.

“You oversee your dissertation yourself and have a lot of responsibility for ensuring it’s successful; but you also get the help you need. That’s how it is now in my daily work. You have a project and complete it.

He ended up in the same team where he’d done his dissertation: Team Web-Tech. This team work with many different areas of the ERP system.

With just a few weeks left of his dissertation he applied for a job, took a programming test and had an interview.

“I was then offered a job,” he says.

What was it like going from being a student to employment? What was it like being on the team for real?

“When I did my dissertation I felt like I wanted to help and contribute. So it was really exciting when I got the chance.

He points out the importance of showing you want to learn. And also, to be prepared that it takes time before you can work independently. 

“It takes time before you can really contribute, although there's no one who expects that you can delivery anything of value from day one.

Viktor had not programmed in C# before he came to Monitor, but did have experience with Java and C++. He describes the transition is fairly straightforward.

“I like to try as many technologies as possible, preferably something new every day.

His track record includes projects like converting websites from PHP to React, to creating games in Unity and C# and small modifications and fixes in Java. He’s also built a torrent client in C++.

Viktor enjoys working with large, challenging tasks, and long-term projects. He's currently involved in large-scale development involving login functionality in Monitor G5.

According to Viktor, another advantage of working at Monitor is being able to take more responsibility and extend your role. For example, he’s a member of Monitor’s Development Council, which discusses questions relating to working conditions for developers at Monitor.

“We identify challenges that arise day to day and see how we can make improvements and quality assure our operations.”

What’s it like living in Hudiksvall?

“It's nice. Hudik is a good size, there’s nothing I miss here.

Why should you do a dissertation at Monitor?

“It was a good opportunity to work on site at the office, in a real-life work environment. I was part of the business, part of the team. And I gained an insight into what it’s like to work here.”

What's the best thing about Monitor?

“Nice colleagues, nice atmosphere. And it’s fun to work with a product which is used by so many people within industry. It’s a big responsibility.”