Now, a year later, Marjut works confidently with clients on integration development projects.
Marjut originally became interested in integrations during her studies, when she realized and was inspired by what integrations make possible. “I realized that integrations provide enormous value to clients and companies. Without them, things simply don’t work,” she says.
“I realized that integrations provide enormous value to clients and companies.”
In her current project, for example, Marjut tackles billing-related challenges for a client on a daily basis. “We think about how to ensure data flows correctly and efficiently between systems,” Marjut explains.
A well-executed integration saves the client a huge amount of time and effort in this context, while also reducing the risk of errors.
Especially in today’s digital world, the number of systems is constantly growing. As complexity increases, so does the need for integrations. In the past, one or two systems might have been enough, but with growing volumes of data, systems have become specialized around specific functionalities. There’s no longer an attempt to have one system do it all.
“Different types of integrations are needed between multiple systems to free up time for people to focus on more demanding tasks,” she explains.
And it’s not just about increasing efficiency – data-driven decision-making has become crucial, and clients need access to relevant information to support their decisions.
“Integrations also make it easier and more reliable to gather data for decision-making,” Marjut adds.
Marjut’s journey at Devikone began through the Integration Academy, after which she joined as an intern in April 2022. Just a couple of weeks in, she was already working on a client project and coding her first integrations with support from our CTO, Tuomas. Nearly a year later, she’s still working on the same project.
“Basic integration development is relatively easy to learn if you have some programming background. – When something truly interests you, you want to dive in and keep learning more.”
“Basic integration development is relatively easy to learn if you have some programming background. My experience with Java helped, but the biggest factor in my growth has been internal motivation. When something truly interests you, you want to dive in and keep learning more,” Marjut reflects.
If it’s easy to get started with integrations, then what makes the job challenging?
“Being an integration developer isn’t just about coding. You need to understand the client’s processes on the other end. When building an integration, you have to understand what data is being transferred, from where to where, and how it should appear at its destination,” Marjut explains.
The core of the job is understanding client needs in order to improve their day-to-day with great integrations. The role is a compelling mix of technical skill and learning and understanding business processes.
Even defining requirements with the client takes time and collaboration. This ensures that the final solution truly works, stands the test of time, and meets the client’s needs.
“Understanding the client’s business process is essential.”
“Understanding the client’s business process is essential so you can help them understand how the integration works and how it will benefit them,” she continues.
One of Marjut’s guiding principles is that a high-quality integration must stand the test of time. To maintain quality, she uses practices like code reviews with another developer.
“There are so many ways to build an integration, and I always want to keep learning new approaches,” she says. “At Devikone, I’ve learned the mindset of continuous improvement.”
“At Devikone, I’ve learned the mindset of continuous improvement.”
Continuous improvement shows up in Marjut’s everyday work as she revises and refines her code as she learns. “Even if an integration works, it doesn’t mean development ends there. If there are changes in the system or I learn a new method, I revisit working integrations and make updates,” she explains.
“We don’t take shortcuts when it comes to building integrations,” Marjut says with a smile.
The open source tools used at Devikone play a significant role in ensuring quality and functionality. Since everyone has access to the platform and the code, the work is transparent and always up to date.
“We believe that code belongs to everyone,” Marjut says.
“The open source way of working feels natural and also fascinates me personally. Since documentation and open APIs are publicly available online, basically anyone interested can start building their own integrations and learn by doing. All you need is a code editor and a machine. That’s inspiring,” Marjut reflects.
She also notes that open source solutions are transparent and fair – not just for developers, but for clients too.
“I believe it’s valuable for the client to have transparent insight into how we work. And when integration solutions are built this way, the client isn’t locked into us. It’s a kind of trust signal,” Marjut says.
Working with integrations has truly won Marjut’s heart. What exciting directions does she see for herself?
“I’m really interested in exploring cloud services more deeply. Integrations usually end up in the cloud, but there are so many different ways of working there that I want to learn. My goal is to be able to independently deliver integrations from start to finish. Understanding all the phases of the process is incredibly exciting,” she says with a smile.