Sean′s story at Invian: from hobby projects to Lead Mobile Developer

Sean, Lead Mobile Developer at Invian

“Before joining Invian in 2013, I was a self-taught Java developer with no real-world work experience and only a few minor hobby projects. I had met the CEO, Ilkka Jussila, a few years prior through a shared interest, and one time during a conversation the topic of work came up. I showed him the only hobby project I had available on my Android phone: an app to convert baking measurements between weight and volume. It was a simple app with a minimal UI, but it was enough for Ilkka to offer me a job as a part-time Android developer.

Since then, I have learned so much over the years by developing both the front and back end of DomaCare's mobile app, and I have continued to grow beyond Android into iOS and hybrid app development with Flutter. Since we are a small team, there have also been plenty of opportunities to dip my toes into unfamiliar territory such as server management, devops, and the web. I have also taken advantage of many of the online courses and other resources available to us.

For me, just as important as technical growth is flexibility and work/personal life balance. I have been able to work from home (even before the pandemic) so I can spend more time with my kids, and I have several times worked from abroad for months at a time. It is especially important to me to keep in contact with my family in Canada or spend part of the winter in a sunnier location like Spain, and the company has never hesitated in supporting me in this.”