Rickard Zrinski, a full-stack software developer with a preference for frontend, describes his workday as a mix of coding, client dialogue, code reviews, and planning new features. In his role at Softhouse, Rickard is strongly motivated by personal development, customer satisfaction, and the delivery of quality products. Days consisting of reviewing code and planning new features are part of his passion and what he excels at: creating user-friendly applications!

For nearly four years, Rickard has been working with a client based in England where he, along with the team, developed white-label apps for grocery stores, focusing on self-scanning, shopping lists, offers, and payment via the app. Integrating the apps with several Point of Sale systems and payment solutions has been part of the challenge.

We are a small team, which means a lot of responsibility and variety in the tasks. Working with technologies like React Native, Android, iOS, React, Kotlin, Spring Boot, and Google Cloud Platform is really fun, he proudly says.

Rickard continues.

In recent years, I have grown increasingly fond of working in React Native. It’s faster to deliver a product across multiple platforms, there’s less project management around iOS vs. Android. You almost get instant feedback when you change code, and what appears on the screen is ultimately native UI, not an imitation. However, there are always some tradeoffs when it comes to cross-platform vs. native. But React Native is being actively developed and is an exciting framework to follow.

From Student to Software Engineering Expert

Rickard’s professional journey began with studies in Software Engineering, which took him from Ericsson to Softhouse. The move to Softhouse was not just a new chapter in his career but also led to a geographical move later on as he went from working in Karlskrona to Malmö.

I studied Software Engineering at Blekinge Institute of Technology with a semester exchange at Georgia Institute of Technology in the USA. After that, I worked full-stack at Ericsson in Karlskrona for just over 3 years with their Business Support System (BSS) for telecom operators. After that time, I wanted a change and many of my friends were already working at Softhouse in Karlskrona so I applied there, Rickard recounts.

And since last year, my partner and I moved to Malmö and I was given the choice to continue at Softhouse in Malmö. It’s really nice to be able to stay with the same employer even when your private life takes you to new places.

Challenges and joys in professional life

Managing distractions and maintaining focus in a dynamic work environment is one of Rickard’s biggest challenges. Despite this, he finds great satisfaction in his work, especially when it leads to useful products and personal knowledge development.

Personally, I would say that the hardest thing is to keep focused on one thing at a time when a lot is happening around you. It’s easy to get distracted when there’s a constant flow of emails/chat messages coming in, someone wants a PR review or to discuss some issue when you’re in the middle of something completely different, he shares and continues.

But regardless of the challenge, I find it satisfying to see the result of my and the team’s work. Creating products that are useful to people and at the same time developing my own skills to be able to create even better products is unbeatable!

At Softhouse, Rickard values the freedom and responsibility that come with project work, as well as the helpful and knowledgeable community among colleagues. When asked which of our four value words is his favorite, “Team” is highlighted as his favorite value word.

The value word ‘Team’ is closest to my heart. It’s usually more fun to sit in a team than alone on a project. You learn from each other and can share the responsibility more. I often think it leads to a better product when more people are involved.

Softhouse is the place for Developers

One advantage of working as a consultant is the opportunity for variation. New assignments often come in and there are many knowledgeable colleagues to learn from. Some work with several assignments at the same time, some with one at a time but several over a period, some with the same assignment for a longer time – as in Rickard’s case.

Softhouse has a welcoming culture and you feel that what you contribute is appreciated. What I find most positive is that you’re listened to when you have something to contribute. But Softhouse is also keen on us as consultants and employees enjoying our assignments, so you can have preferences about how you want things, which feels incredibly safe, Rickard shares.

He continues.

What I want to add, as part of my experience here at Softhouse, is that you get a lot of personal responsibility in projects at Softhouse, which leads to being challenged and developing both your hard and soft skills. Then, having colleagues who are very nice, helpful, and knowledgeable if you need help is an extra big plus.

Life Outside Coding

But when Rickard isn’t coding, you’ll most likely find him on a bike or immersed in music.

I often ride my gravel bike, listen to a lot of music, and watch ‘adventure’ content on YouTube. I like to read a book now and then and have lately tried to teach our curious but scared cat to walk in a harness in the backyard.

Asked if Rickard has a secret talent, we get the following answer.

As a young man (about 12 years old), I trained in bowling for a few years, and a certain technique still sticks, but it’s gone downhill from there, he says with a small smile on his face.

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