Robin did his thesis project at Flex in the spring of  2017.

When it was time for the thesis project, me and my classmates were lucky to get many offers from different companies to come and do the thesis project with them. Among those companies, Flex Applications was the company that felt like a stable employer with a good product portfolio, and, last but not least, offered a project that seemed fun!

The thesis project, what was its purpose?

The main purpose of the project was to develop a Proof of Concept for a new module to complete Flex existing systems. The module was supposed to be able to show employees, their schedule and their current status (if they have punched in, if they are on break, etc.) on everything from a cell phone to a 60″ TV. The module can be said to consist of two parts: a client side and a server side. For the client side we should work with the language TypeScript with the framework Angular2. The server side should be created in C#. Furthermore, the system should also have a real-time adjustment. For instance, if an employee punches in, it should immediately be visible on the device used, without the need of manual refreshing by the user. This should be executed by means of the library SignalR.

What does a typical working day look like for you?

I fill my first cup of coffee and enjoys it while checking that my commits from yesterday were successful with all the tests that are run. If I haven’t completed all tasks from the previous day, I dig into that right away. If I completed it the day before, I check which task seems most important to finish and go on with that task! At the moment I work alone on a project, which means that I can decide for myself which part I do first. Since I am still quite new, of course I need some help and there is always a helping hand nearby! The colleagues are very helpful, and I also have a tutor that I can turn to who is a bit more involved in the project..

I enjoy twisting and turning ideas to try to get the best solutions possible. I know that all ideas are not that good, but we have always been able to discuss them. Instead of strictly following an instruction to 100%, it rather feels like you are encouraged to bring new ideas and perspectives to the table.

What have you learned through your thesis project at Flex?

First and foremost, I have been reassured that I am definitely in the right type of branch. I really enjoy it here! What I have learned in technical terms is almost hard to summarize. TypeScript and Angular2 are the major parts, but in addition to that there are also third-party tools, frameworks, testing languages, etc. An important lesson for me has been the sense of “ I can do this” . When entering the working life, you don’t really know what kind of demands will be placed on you. In this respect, Flex has really done a great job, you feel welcome and you get a clear picture of what is expected of you.

I heard this quote from a colleague ”Here at Flex we are like a family”, and that I something you could really tell. Even new employees like me are immediately taken care of by the others and already now it feels like you have been working together for years. You couldn’t ask for a better start to your new working life!