About Me

About Me

About Me

I’m Santtu Nykänen, a thirty-something full-stack developer from Helsinki, now based in Barcelona. My path to becoming a developer began in June 2017 with a simple decision to try an online programming course with a friend. After reading about the high demand for developers and driven by a natural competitive streak, I enrolled in Harvard’s CS50x course.

What started with creating a simple basketball game in Scratch turned into a passionate pursuit of programming knowledge. Even though the path to becoming employable seemed challenging, the joy of problem-solving and creating through code made every step worthwhile.

Basketball Game Screenshot My first programming project: a simple basketball game made with Scratch

After nearly two years of self-study and dedicated learning, I landed my first coding position in spring 2019. Since then, I’ve worked as a consultant on various projects, primarily using Python, Java, and JavaScript. In my free time, I continue to explore new technologies, recently diving into mobile development with Flutter.

Work Experience

Full-Stack Developer

Gofore (2022 - Present)

  • Full-stack software development as a consultant on various client projects
  • Technologies: Python, Java, JavaScript

Full-Stack Developer

Solidabis (2019 - 2022)

  • Full-stack software development as a consultant on various client projects
  • Focus on web application development and system integration

Personal/Freelance Projects

Varastolista

  • Inventory management app for Hospital District of Helsinki
  • CRUD application for managing spare parts inventory
  • Features: Excel import/export, QR-code reader for part numbers
  • Technologies: Python, Django, jQuery, PostgreSQL, Docker

Monitorimittari

  • GUI application for hospital engineers to log display luminance measurements
  • Integration with LXscan spot luminance meter via USB
  • Automated Excel report generation
  • Technologies: Python, PyQt5, PyInstaller

dopepod

  • Web application for discovering and listening to podcasts
  • Integration with iTunes API for podcast data
  • Features: Genre-based browsing, playlist creation, podcast subscriptions
  • Technologies: Node.js, jQuery, Django, REST APIs, PostgreSQL, Celery, Redis, Scrapy, Docker, Flutter

Technical Skills

Languages & Frameworks

  • Python (Django, PyQt)
  • JavaScript/TypeScript (React, Node.js)
  • Java
  • Flutter

Tools & Technologies

  • Git
  • Docker
  • SQL Databases
  • REST APIs
  • Linux

Education

Bachelor of Business Administration - Business Information Technology

Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (2018 - 2021)

  • Bachelor’s degree program focusing on software development and business
  • Practical application of IT skills through company collaboration
  • Part-time studies alongside work

Full Stack Open

University of Helsinki (Online, 2019)

  • Modern web development with JavaScript
  • React, Redux, Node.js, MongoDB
  • Building single page applications
  • REST APIs and GraphQL
  • TypeScript and React Native

Java Programming MOOC

University of Helsinki (Online, 2018)

  • Comprehensive Java programming course
  • Object-oriented programming principles
  • Data structures and algorithms
  • Test-driven development

CS50x - Introduction to Computer Science

Harvard University (Online, 2017)

  • Comprehensive introduction to computer science and programming
  • Topics covered: C, Python, SQL, Data Structures, Algorithms
  • Created a basketball game as first programming project
  • Final project: Web application development, original version of dopepod

Languages

  • Finnish (Native)
  • English (Fluent)
  • Spanish (Basic)

Contact