Haroun Hajem

“My name is Haroun Hajem and I am a software developer at ESSIQ. I’ve got a fairly mixed background: I have a Bachelor of Arts from The School of Design and Crafts at the University of Gothenburg, and I studied for a year on a foundation art course, but then decided to focus on software.

Before I took the step and trained as a software developer, I worked in the metal industry, freelanced as a moviemaker and ran my own company. I then studied with a focus on C# and .Net, and now I have the opportunity to combine my creativity with my technical interests as a consultant at ESSIQ.

ESSIQ caught my eye when a good friend did their master’s thesis while working there. He spoke highly of the company, so I got in touch with Johan, my now manager, at the time I was due to take an internship at the end of my studies. My internship began, and then I ended up staying!

Now I’m a full-time employee at ESSIQ as a software developer, and my work tasks can be varied. As I have previous experience of graphic design and video, I can jump into projects where my expertise is in demand. I work with everything from programming VR games to producing advertising films, and thereby get to use all my interests and abilities.

The best thing about ESSIQ is that we are such a good team, and I’ve got many fun colleagues who I really enjoy hanging out with. At the office we don’t just work together, we play VR games, have lunch and have table tennis tournaments as well. We also have the freedom to plan and manage our projects ourselves, which is not the norm in this industry. ESSIQ also views this positively and encourages us employees to develop our own products – everything from motorized diving flippers to automated sit/stand desks came from the minds of creative ESSIQ people.”