Nathalie Lindqvist completed her internship at iGoMoon before the summer vacation and now joins our team as a developer. Welcome back Nathalie, we're thrilled to have you back!
Stay crisp - where did your moonshot journey begin?
What did you do before you landed on the moon? How did you get started in development?
My journey to the moon had a few twists and turns and I laugh a little bit to myself when I look back on it. My father is a developer and technical team leader and has worked in IT for over 30 years. So I’ve been surrounded by computers and gadgets my whole life. Growing up I wasn’t all the technical and often needed help with setting up new computers and solving technical issues. I saw myself as fairly challenged in that area and had come to terms with not having a career in IT. I was more interested in behavioural science back then, and still am to some extent. In high school I studied social science with an orientation in behavioural science. I was set on becoming a therapist, or something along that line. After graduating I found myself working as a show dancer and entertainer in a hotel in El Gonna, Egypt. Pretty far off from what I had planned, but I thought of it as an adventure to broaden my horizons before becoming a “proper” adult. It was a wild ride and after 10 months abroad I found myself back at my roots in Stockholm.
I kept myself busy with a few different jobs before I decided on a new education path - I wanted to work in tourism since I thrived at the hotel in Egypt. Said and done, I applied and got a spot at the Tourism program at Södertörn University. I was excited, because this was what I really wanted to do. Or was it? After a year of tourism studies it was time to choose a minor to complement my degree. There were a couple different routs I could choose, but being a pragmatic I though media technology could be a good choice. Then I had an opportunity to maybe become less challenged in that area in the same process - two birds with one stone right? And so I embarked on an 18 month long journey into the world of graphic design, video recording and editing, audio retouching, and web development. And it shook me to the core because holy moly, web development was so much fun! I could sit for 12 hours on end with assignments not because I had to, but because it was enchantingly interesting and exciting.
Me, who could make a laptop burst into flames by looking at it, liked programming? It might not seem like a big deal, but it was truly eye-opening for me. And when opportunity came to translate what I had learned into real life work I jumped on it. I freelanced as a frontend developer on a small project where I developed a web page for the company Möbelbiblioteket AB - a service for borrowing furniture from other people. It gave me confidence to really believe web development could be something for me. Time went by and I decided I wanted a double bachelors degree - one in tourism and one in media technology. That meant two thesis projects. And media technology was up first. It was the most exhausting work I have ever done and I was nowhere near that positive feeling for media tech for months and months. As the work with my thesis finished up I realised I wasn’t at all where I wanted to be. I didn’t enjoy my time in the world of academics and scholars, although I’ve always excelled in school. It was a hard decision, but I decided to leave that world. I had found what I wanted to do - web development.
Tell us a little about your journey to the moon and what are you most looking forward to in your new role here?
After I ended my time at university I realised I didn’t know enough to be able to apply for a job as a web developer just yet. So I bit the bullet and started my new education: Frontend Development with an orientation in Web Security. It was a two year program and I soaked up as much information as I could. A part of the education was an internship and this is where iGoMoon comes in. I did both internship periods (a total of almost 6 months) at iGoMoon and loved every minute of it. So I crossed my fingers, wished on my lucky star and asked if I could stay. And here I am today, with a huge smile on my face. iGoMoon looks at a challenge and gives it a wink, so I am super pumped to learn and grow with this wonderful company and its people. Crisp web sites, brave decisions and good times are coming up, I can feel it!
How did you find out about iGoMoon and what encouraged you to apply for the position here?
My father worked for a company which is a customer of iGoMoon and he had talked about them on and off for several years. When the time came to look for an internship I asked him more about what kind of company they were and asked for contact details. The rest is history.
What do you love most about being a developer?
The ever-changing flexibility of what you can do. No day is the same as the other. You might rip your hair out over a seemingly unsolvable bug from time to time, but the satisfaction of when you finally solve it is hard to beat.
Get to know iGoMoon and our team which makes the Moon so special by watching our vlog, Månresan.
Have Fun - Tell us more about Nathalie
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
This might be the hardest question in the world, but here goes - loyal, determined, bright-sider (as in I always try to look on the bright side) :)
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever been given?
Being perfect is not only impossible, it’s boring and gets you nowhere. You have to make mistakes to learn end evolve. Practice makes progress.
What do you enjoy doing as soon as you have spare time?
Once inspiration hits I love being creative in some way - drawing, painting, singing, making music, writing. Once I get in the flow I can sit for hours. I also like to read, go on adventures with my friends and family and listen to loads and loads of music.
Tell us something most people don’t know about you.
I wrote a book when I was 14 years old. It’s cheesy and cringy, but it exists. Unless it’s been removed you can still check it out at the local library in Vallentuna, where I grew up.
Tell us about your proudest accomplishment.
Managing myself while working in Egypt as a 19-year-old. But also daring to admit when I had enough and go back home.
Speed round:
A hidden talent of mine is: I can two-tone whistle.
At the top of my bucket list is: Visiting New Zealand and see the places where they recorded the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
If I could choose one superpower, that would be: To speak and understand every language in the world.
One thing I can’t live without is: Music! And the people near and dear to my heart.
My favorite season is: It’s so hard to choose, but I would probably say late spring.
My favorite podcast is: I am one of the very few people who do not listen to podcasts.
You have your own late night talk show, who do you invite as your first guest? If they have to be alive, Sir Ian McKellen. If it can be anyone who’s ever lived, Freddy Mercury.
Top 3 apps used on your phone currently are: Spotify, Instagram and a step counter.
If you're interested in working at iGoMoon and want to know more about our current job openings, check out our careers page.