“The choice to move here was really not a difficult decision for me to make”

Meet Poornima Rajendran. In this article she is sharing her experience with moving from India to Sweden to work at CGI. She is currently working with one of CGI Sweden´s major insurance clients as a software developer.

Please tell us a little about your background

I am from Coimbatore, India and I am an undergraduate in computer science and engineering. I work as a software developer and so far my main focus has been on insurance products.

What made you decide to move to Sweden and what is your current role at CGI?

I am a Senior Software Engineer. In 2019, I had an opportunity to work at CGI Stockholm for a period of six months. During that time, I had come to appreciate so many aspects of Sweden, for instance wonderful friends and colleagues, great work life balance, a very well organised public infrastructure and the scenic Scandinavian landscape. I was in love with this place from the get go. The choice to move here was really not a difficult decision for me to make.

What opportunities have you been given since working at CGI Sweden?

Working from here, I have got the opportunity to work directly with one of our biggest insurance clients. Often, I am able to be a part of more challenging development tasks, working alongside experienced colleagues whose expertise have directly impacted my own skill growth. I consider that in itself as the biggest career related opportunity.

What do you enjoy most in your role as a software developer at CGI?

As a software developer at CGI, I have not been strictly bound to do just that and that is a good thing. On numerous occasions, I have had the privilege to work on almost all the aspects of our product development. That gave me a chance to have a bigger picture of the insurance domain. This makes working here at CGI a lot more interesting that way.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering moving to another country for work?

I would say "Be a roman when you are in Rome". It was especially relevant to me because there is a lot of contrast between the way of life in my home country to the Swedish way of life. When I moved to Sweden, I made a conscious effort to be open minded and not letting the cultural differences play any part in how I experience the new country. I believe that made it easy to acclimate to life in Sweden.

Lastly, is Sweden how you expected it to be?

I thought I had some notion of what to expect when I visited Sweden the first time. No! Little did I know that I will be so mesmerized by the natural beauty of Scandinavia. I love the humble and committed people, the different seasons, chanterelle, wide green fields with deers, berries, boat trips to islands, costume parties, skating, auroras and what not.