Our alum James Afolaranmi: Senior data engineer speaks for solid competence and social skills

A leap worth taking

James Afolaranmi has completed both his bachelor's and master's degrees at Tampere University, majoring in machine learning and signal processing. He now works as a senior data engineer at the Finnish cybersecurity company WithSecure.

In his current role, James builds and develops data platforms, pipelines, dashboards and integrations, with AI increasingly woven into the process. He has gradually shifted from simply completing tasks to shaping them, carrying an idea from an early conversation with stakeholders through to a working prototype.

“I enjoy problem-solving and getting my hands dirty. I'm constantly challenged in this work, and that's what keeps me going,” he says.

James’ path up to this point has not been strictly straightforward, however.

Back home in Nigeria, James originally studied medicine, a profession that seemed respected and secure for a ‘smart kid’ like him. At the start of his third year, he decided to drop out, however, and start something new. His older brother lived in Finland and told him about an opening in science and engineering.

“He told me there was a study opportunity that might suit me, and I just took the leap,” James says.

Know your craft and be nice to people

The start of James’ studies in Finland was not as smooth as it could have been. Due to COVID, James spent most of his first year studying remotely from Nigeria before finally arriving in Tampere in 2021. Then, he needed to find his place in a whole new country and culture, all the while facing a lot of demanding schoolwork. His first-year grades were a wake-up call.

“Given the financial, mental and physical investment made, you can't come this far only to give up. Also, I had dropped out once, so I wasn't going to do that again. But I needed some time to myself, so I took a month off studies and binged on movies. Then, I built a strict new routine: on campus by eight, home by eight, asleep by ten, up by five,” he says.

James loaded his calendar with extra courses and completed close to 90 credits in a single year, most of them graded four or five. Connecting with professors and getting proper advice and insight from them proved very helpful along the way.

James also lined up a thesis topic as early as his second year and turned it into a funded research assistant post at the university in 2022. Between then and now, James has worked in data engineering roles at Futurice, Elisa and currently WithSecure. 

Asked what the turnaround has taken, James mentions two things.

You have to genuinely want to know more – technically, and through people. It's knowing your stuff, but also knowing how to present it."

James Afolaranmi

 “You have to genuinely want to know more – technically, and through people. It's knowing your stuff, but also knowing how to present it,” he says.

Finding your space as a foreigner in Finland

Shifting from Nigeria to Finland, James found the biggest adjustment to be cultural. Nigeria is very communal, while Finns are more used to doing things on their own. He found his balance by staying true to himself – staying outgoing and easy to talk to. It has also been valuable to have a familiar face to lean on: James’ brother still lives in Finland and works as a researcher at the university.

For international students seeking work in Finland, James has concrete advice.

“Research the company you are applying to, and show them not just what you can do, but what you can do for them. In a technical field especially, build something. When you demonstrate a live build in the interview, you are walking the talk," James says. 

James also highlights social skills and having the courage to actually talk to people. To him, networking in Finland has been both natural and intentional on LinkedIn and at job events, International House Tampere and the university's mentoring and student ambassador programmes.

“Stay true to yourself and be good to people, and you'll find your space. But know your stuff, too. If you feel underqualified to a position at first, you can qualify yourself along the way.”

Text: Tiina Leivo