Nor does it seem like the right answer here: public sector projects - like all other projects - can be both. "It just depends on how you feel about them, what kind of people you work with and what kind of partnership you create," says software developer Kristine.

Kristine will soon be celebrating her third anniversary of working at Finestmedia. Even before Finestmedia, the lion's share of Kristine's past projects has been related to the public sector: her portfolio includes jobs in TalTech and the IT and Development Center of the Ministry of the Interior, where one of her most ambitious projects was developing software for inspecting non-Schengen people at border checkpoints. What is the case anyway - doesn't people come from public sector to private sector to do something else?

Short answer: no

Kristine's short answer is no. "I don't really have a point of comparison with the private sector, but the choice to commit myself to the public sector is rather conscious. In the case of the public sector projects, I can be sure that my daily work helps to make my friends, parents and also my own life better. Of course, it's so much harder to hear criticism, if you take it personally, but I always try to remind myself that one bad opinion does not mean EVERYONE’s opinion", Kristine discusses the specifics of working with public sector clients.

She considers that, as public projects have other motivators than monetary profit, such projects are more flexible. "For business customers every second is money. For the public sector projects, the motivator is the public's attention, better user experience, cost-effective solutions, and if the project deadline is not fixed by regulation, then we can revise things if necessary,” she thinks.

Work, the results of which are literally evaluated by half of Estonia

Although there can partly be more flexibility in terms of deadlines, the stakes of the public sector projects are much higher: we are talking about changes that affect almost every Estonian. “I work with the Transport Administration on a daily basis. I joined this team in 2018, and during that time their digital systems have been improved constantly. As a joint effort of the team, we have made the process of renewing and applying for driving licenses significantly faster and more user-friendly, simplified the application for certificates, updated the Traffic Archive and much more, ”Kristine introduces her latest work.

The information system of the Transport Administration is one of the most data-intensive registers in Estonia - the work of this authority is based on the ARIS2 system with more than 110 million entries, which offers more than 60 services via X-Road and answers more than three million inquiries every month. Today, more than 630,000 users, or almost half of the Estonian population, are registered in their e-environment.

"Even without today's health crisis, it is clear that many previous operations could be done not only safer, but also more conveniently and faster from a distance," Kristine thinks. It is for these 630,000 people for whom she does her work every day with a spark in her eyes.

The biggest critic of her own work

Have the digital state innovations been beneficial to her as well? "You know, to be honest, I'm trying not to use it," Kristine laughs. "I'm so critical of my work that when I go there, I'm sure I'll find something to bother me again," As a user, if you see that it takes 5 seconds to log in instead of 2, then 95% of people probably won't let them be disturbed about it. But when that happens to me, I immediately think about what could be wrong in the background,” she jokes. Finally, she admits that in fact it has been necessary a few times, and it is quite nice that things can be done with a quick effort. "When I bought a car, we were able to formalize it in the e-service and I checked the health certificate from there as well," says Kristine.

If the customer is competent, the work of a developer is easy

One of the most pleasant aspects for Kristine of cooperating with the Transport Administration is definitely the client. “The Transport Administration is a very aware and informed customer. Our contact person is literally real hardware - a system administrator, user support, analyst, tester, business manager. It's easy to be a developer when I have someone from whom I can always get a quick answer to my business logic questions. Only this way the solutions, that function and are actually useful, can be completed,” Kristine is sure.

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As in the case of Tallinn, it can never be said about e-government that now it is FINALLY ready! That means only one thing - our brilliant team is waiting for great colleagues to join us! Finestmedia is an IT company based in the Estonian capital, our cohesive team employs a wide range of talented people, united by the desire to contribute to a well-functioning digital society.

If you are an analytical IT specialist and you have a passion for development in e-government topics, we have just one more question for you: when can you start? :) Read more about career opportunities at career.finestmedia.ee