Who are you?
My name is Antti-Eemeli Satokangas and I am a 23-year-old student of industrial engineering from Oulu. At the same time, I also work at Bet-Ker as a TSE at the Raahe steel mill. I have two years of experience working with refractory materials and with every day, my experience increases. The journey to become a refractory professional is a long one, but it is certainly achievable at Bet-Ker.
How did you end up working at Bet-Ker?
I had heard of Bet-Ker in my previous job. However, for a long time, Bet-Ker was just one supplier among many, until one of my current colleagues advised me to apply for a position there.
I thought about it for a long time, and finally decided not to apply, as I thought they would not hire a student. However, as my summer employment was coming to an end, and I had one semester left in my studies, I decided to give it a try anyway.
After all, it was a tempting prospect, and I would have later regretted it, had I not given it a shot.
To my great surprise, I was hired, and so I started at Bet-Ker. Everything went smoothly right from the beginning and I soon felt that I was one of the team. The team spirit is awesome at Bet-Ker and everybody makes an equal effort.
This is evidenced by the long careers of employees here, as well as the Great Place to Work certificate awarded to the company.
How do you reconcile work and studies?
A full-time job, a long commute and studies are undoubtedly a taxing combination. There’s no denying it. However, there is a lot of flexibility in my working hours to accommodate the studies, and I get to organise my working week as I see fit.
The customer’s needs come first and the studies come second. In this way, both the customer and my teachers are happy, as long as I get things done.
Often, school assignments are also to some extent applicable to my daily work, which means I can do them during working hours, putting theory into practice. That is quite convenient in my view.
Bet-Ker was also the answer to the important question of my thesis, which I get to do for my employer when the time comes.
What do you want to say to those working or studying in the field?
I encourage everyone to make an effort to get ahead in life. Sometimes it pays to take a deliberate leap into the unknown. Fortune favours the brave, and if you don’t feel a bit nervous, you may have set your goals a bit too low.
What I think makes Bet-Ker a great employer is that they dare to hire motivated young people eager to learn, instead of the usual experienced professionals.