Casey C.

Software Architect

Ask me a question

(Applied) R&D

Information Technology

Engineering & Science

Engineering & Maintenance

Project Management

Quality

R&D

Keen to receive questions about

Career DevelopmentEveryday LifeOpen RolesRole

Top Insider Advice

A friend invited me to apply as a software developer, so I did. When I got the results from the assessment test – the examiner informed me that I failed the exam but suggested me a QA position. I immediately jumped on the opportunity without knowing what QA was. The manager offered me that opportunity in the company as he knew my learnability. Nokia provided training, coaching, and mentoring, and I enjoyed the work. As I developed my knowledge, an architecture and specification position opened, and I was excited about it. But I thought I was not yet ready for the role. I consulted my manager about it and asked for his opinion, and he encouraged me to go for it and to try it out. Fast forward to hardship and several leaps of faith, and I am excited to grow and try new things. This year I started my new position. Looking back, I am grateful to mention three key points: 1. Don’t be afraid to try new things. There’s no additional knowledge if you already know it – what is QA? 2. Develop your knowledge. Learning is a never-ending process: if you don’t know – study! 3. How will you know if you don’t try? You might regret it one day if you haven't tried.

Career path

Software Architect

Nokia

Started 08/2022 to Present

Architecture and Specification

Nokia

From 09/2018 to 08/2022

Integration Manager

Nokia

From 01/2018 to 08/2018

Company

What do you like about your job and the company?

As part of a research and development team where our motivation is to find a new solution, where creativity flows, and where collaboration is key to the continuous improvement of technology, I'm enjoying my work environment. That's exciting to be part of and see the shape of communications evolve from a simple GSM to 5G (and 6G is on its way!) Finding a new solution to improve the current technology includes reading and research. Sometimes what you need is already around the corner. Why should you reinvent the wheel if it already exists and is free to use – use it. Creativity flows to provide a relevant design solution that would satisfy the problem at hand. You should review all design possibilities, such as the sunny day and the failure scenarios. And lastly, the collaboration with different domains to discuss, optimize, evaluate and finalize the solution.

Greatest achievements

At Nokia, I am proud of designing and implementing new technology with my team. First, I am a part of the initial specification and architectural design of Nokia’s single RAN base station with a single Nokia base station supporting 2G, 3G, and 4G. Secondly, I am part of the architectural design and specification of frontal Nokia's 5G technology base station with an O-RAN solution.

Other insiders

Aly M

Transformation Manager

Top Insider Advice

Play the long game and focus on continuous growth. Step outside your comfort zone, take on new challenges, and learn from every role. Find synergies between what you do and where you want to go. Seek mentors and coaches who can guide your development, and remember that leadership is not about title but about helping others grow. Stay curious, adaptable, and focused on meaningful impact.

View profile

András L

Senior Software Engineer

Top Insider Advice

I heard so many times about the importance of continuous improvement and learning 'till the grave. Sometimes you feel this is just a mandatory sentence what HR representatives always say, but to be honest that's very true. You need to learn something new every day because this area grows so fast.

View profile

Rahul K

Principal Technical Specialist

Top Insider Advice

My top advice to someone starting is to build a strong foundation in the basics of IP networking. Spend time thoroughly understanding the fundamentals by reading and revisiting classic texts like those by Tanenbaum and Widjaja—they pay dividends throughout your career. Depending on whether you’re working in the control, data, or management plane, go deep into the details and truly understand the bits and bytes of how a feature works and the problem it is solving. Be open to taking on all kinds of work; no task is insignificant, as even seemingly small pieces often support critical components of the system. Especially in a small team, every member pulls their weight, and each contribution matters—both for the product and for your own growth.

View profile

Discussions with Casey C

What opportunities are there for freshers?

in Career Tips·Thursday, February 14, 2019