At the frontline of high-tech innovation
Atul Saxena is passionate about engineering and creating new state-of-the-art products. A job with Nokia in Oulu has given him the opportunity to do just that.
“We’re designing the brains of a base station. Simple as that. We make it possible for the signal — which can be your voice or a text you’re typing — to reach a base station from which it will be transmitted to the phone number you wish to connect with.”
Atul’s team works on products for 5G and 6G telecommunications networks. “That’s the frontline of high-tech innovation which I find immensely satisfying,” he says with a proud smile.
“We’re making the world a better place by making everyday tasks easier for people.”
A hardware engineer from Uttar Pradesh state in India, Atul has 20 years’ experience in the telecommunications industry.
“I’ve worked in different cultures. I first worked in India for ten years, then in I was working for Intel in Malaysia for eight years before moving back to India. After that I came to Oulu with my wife and two children, to take up a job with Nokia in May 2021.”
Work-life-balance at Nokia
Atul is a technical manager at Nokia. He leads a team of six engineers.
“I like corporate culture here. First of all, the organisational chart is quite flat,” he laughs.
“Second, work-life balance is very good.”
It’s a very different system from what Atul was used to in his previous jobs in Asia.
“It’s a different culture here. There are times when I have to stretch but at the end of the day the extra time I work will not cut into my personal time as I get fair compensation for it, which is very satisfying.”
Flexible working
Atul works from home all the time. In general, Nokia offers different options for its employees to select from – it is possible to work at office full-time, come to office 2–3 days per week or work entirely remotely.
“What’s more, home is defined as anywhere in Finland so in theory I could do my job from Helsinki or a remote cabin in Lapland if I wanted to. It’s great to know that the system allows such flexibility,” Atul says.
“I like corporate culture here. The organisational chart is quite flat”
Atul Saxena
If personal circumstances change, it’s possible to switch from remote work to office work, or a combination of the two, explains Atul.
Atul believes flexible working creates a win-win situation.
“It allows me to support my family properly because I’m at home when my kids come home from school.
Family life
Atul’s wife, ten-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son have all settled into their new lives in Oulu very easily.
“They’re all very happy. I am the only one who gets a bit homesick at times,” admits Atul.
“I miss my family and friends in India. But we have a 500-strong closely-knit Indian community in Oulu which helps greatly to cope with homesickness.”
“We go out and do things together. For example, we celebrate Hindu festivals. We’ve just had a brilliant Diwali in Oulu,” he says with a big smile.
Atul says his wife has found services to help immigrants settle, find work, and learn the Finnish language very helpful.
“There’s strong support for integration in Finland. My wife is doing a free course which includes learning the Finnish language. She’s enjoying it a lot.
“She’s also a lot more independent here than she was in Malaysia. There are more freedoms and more opportunities for her which she really appreciates.”
“There’s equal opportunity in Finland for everyone. My wife will start looking for a job when she’s finished her course — something she would not have been able to do in Malaysia.”
Atul’s children go to Oulu International School: an IB (International Baccalaureate) school run by the City of Oulu. It’s free to attend and the language of tuition is English.
“There’s less pressure at school on children than there is in India. School is less competitive.
“One thing I really appreciate is how much Oulu International School supports learning foreign languages. For example, my children attend Hindi classes.
“They have a rule that they provide classes to learn any foreign language if the parents of a minimum of six children request them. I think that’s brilliant.”
Cycling in Oulu
“One of the best things about Oulu is the excellent biking infrastructure,” says Atul.
Oulu has perfect conditions for cycling: it’s flat and it has a total of 900 km of segregated bicycle roads so you can get everywhere by bike very easily. And you don’t cycle on the road surrounded by cars: the bicycle paths are segregated so you hardly ever have to cross a road.
Maintenance is also excellent: in winter cycle paths enjoy priority when it comes to clearing the snow. As a result, 50% of Oulu’s residents continue to use their bikes throughout the winter.
“It’s totally safe to ride your bike in Oulu. You can see a lot of children, including very young children, going to school by bike,” points out Atul.
Living in nature in Oulu
According to Atul, pristine Arctic nature is another big attraction in Oulu.
“Oulu is a city in the forest. Nature is at your doorstep and it’s so easy to explore the forests, lakes and the seaside. They’re awesome in every season.
Atul loves jumping on his bike to go to the forest with his family to pick blueberries and lingonberries in the summer and autumn.
“But I don’t just cycle. I also love walking in the forest in Oulu. It’s an experience that gives you a real feel for nature.”
The family saw snow for the first time in their lives after moving to Oulu. Last winter they also experienced extreme cold, temperatures under minus 20℃.
Is it easy to make friends with Finnish people?
Atul says most of his friends are members of Oulu’s Indian community, but he and his family were in for a surprise about Finnish people.
“Before we moved here, we thought it would be difficult to socialise with Finns but we’ve found just the opposite.
“In fact, we’ve found that Finnish people are more polite and helpful than people in other Nordic countries.
“When we try to communicate in Finnish, we get a very warm welcome, especially from older people who are really happy when my wife and kids speak Finnish to them. Even a little knowledge of the language goes a long way.”
Atul says Nokia helps foreign staff learn Finnish if they are interested in learning the language. But he and other international recruits don’t need to use any Finnish at work so learning the language is an optional extra. “My Finnish language skills are therefore lagging behind the rest of my family,” he adds with a smile.
Coping with dark winters
Is it possible for a family from a tropical climate to get used to the long dark winters just below the Arctic Circle? Atul has a remarkably pragmatic answer.
“It’s very cold in the winter but Finns say there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing, and I fully agree with that,” he laughs.
He also has some useful advice for newcomers to Oulu. “Every morning before I leave the house I check the temperature, the wind speed and the “feels like” temperature, and dress accordingly. Wind chill makes a big difference, so you need to be aware of it.”
Atul says limited daylight hours in November and December would probably make him depressed if he wasn’t socialising. He says meeting friends regularly and going to parties brings him joy even in the darkest times of the year.
“It’s also important to try to spend time outdoors during daylight hours. We go sledging and my children also enjoy skiing and ice-skating in the winter,” he says.
“If you try to integrate into society, you can cope easily in a new country. If there is a will, everything is easier, even in the coldest winter.
“And if you get bored by winter in Finland, there are plenty of opportunities to travel in Europe.
Some people fly from Oulu for short breaks in warmer countries in Europe.
Atul is quick to add another perspective to travelling in Europe.
“We love travelling with the family throughout the year. We’ve travelled to the Baltic countries and made a road trip to the island of Lofoten in Norway. Next summer we’re planning a trip to Paris or Switzerland. It’s easy: after all, distances to tourist destinations are a lot shorter than what we were used to in Asia.”
Erika Benke
