Meet Erlend Seppola, our Senior Front-End Developer and go-to CSS/Typescript guy at Pistachio. In this Employee Spotlight, Erlend reflects on his journey to Pistachio. From aspiring film director to self-taught developer, discover how his curiosity and motivation sparked his passion for coding, along with his interesting family history and creative hobbies outside of the office. Let’s get to know Erlend a little better!
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What has brought you to where you are now?
I grew up in Hammerfest, which claims to be the world's northernmost city. After high school, I moved to Oslo to attend film school. As a big fan of Paul Thomas Anderson and Hitchcock, I dreamed of eventually becoming a director. However, that profession wasn’t quite what I had pictured, so I ended up dropping out after 1.5 years. While I was figuring out my next step, I started working at a preschool and moved in with my brother, who had just finished his degree in computer science at the time. I began looking over his shoulder while he worked, asking questions, and slowly learning from him. Eventually, I became hooked on coding and decided this was something I really wanted to do full-time.
As luck would have it, my brother became the CTO at a startup and offered me a part-time job if I reached a certain skill level. This motivated me to balance my preschool job with daily coding practice, gradually improving my skills. Eventually, I acquired the required skills, so they hired me for one day a week at first. As time went on, I performed well and started to work several days a week, until I eventually started working full-time. After some time, a recruiter reached out and brought me to Aller Media, where I met Zack, our CTO. Fast forward a few years, Zack left Aller and contacted me a few months after, asking if I wanted to work at Cybr (now Pistachio). I accepted, and now, here we are, 2.5 years later.
Q: What’s your team and role like at Pistachio?
I work in the tech team at Pistachio, which I would describe as a relaxed environment where everyone gets along. At the same time, we are a highly effective team with highly competent people. In other companies, you can find that your time is filled with meetings that often lead nowhere. Here, 90% of my time is spent developing features or improving and experimenting with new ideas, which I absolutely love. I work as a senior front-end developer and am responsible for ensuring that our website and platform are always visually appealing. I guess I’m the go-to CSS/Typescript guy on our team.
Q: What are the crucial things a software developer should do to stay ahead of their game?
Stay curious and keep experimenting. Trends change rapidly, so the best way to stay ahead is to work on projects and explore new stuff, don’t just read about them.
Q: What’s one misconception people have about what you do?
To be completely honest, we don’t know how computers work. Most people expect us to have vast knowledge of all tech-related things, but we really don't. Sorry, I can't fix your Wi-Fi.
Q: What’s one of your favorite moments in your 2.5 years at Pistachio?
When we moved away from Cybr and launched Pistachio. That was really nice. But just working with our platform and the rig we’ve developed daily is a win in itself. Whenever I need to do something, it doesn’t feel like a hassle. Things just work, so you could say I’m pretty happy with our architecture.
Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
First, a fireman. Then, a film director. Computer science? Never even crossed my mind. Funny how things turn out.
Q: What do you like to do most that’s not related to computers?
I’ve always loved drawing, but as a kid, I had zero patience. If a drawing wasn ’t perfect, I would press the pencil harder and harder until I ruined it. I had a pretty short temper growing up, so I never really developed my skills. During COVID, I finally took a course and learned proper techniques. Now, I genuinely enjoy it. I’m also into board games and have recently started sewing with a friend. In general, I just really enjoy creating and being hands-on with things.
Q: What is something that most people don’t know about you?
My great-great-great (not sure how many “greats”) uncle is Leonhard Seppala, the musher who completed the 1925 serum run to Nome across central and northern Alaska. His sled dogs were the famous Balto and Togo. Additionally, I backpacked through Southeast Asia for five months with my girlfriend, and I meditate regularly. Very basic white boy stuff, I know.
Q: If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?
Just one power? I mean, I feel cheated, you have Superman who comes packed with multiple superpowers. We’re talking impenetrable skin, he's super strong, super-fast, has laser eyes, can fly, and gets power from the sun. Or Batman, who, fair enough, his power is just being super rich... and ripped, I guess. But if I had to pick just one superpower, then I would go with teleportation. No more public transport, travel time reduced to zero, that’s amazing.
We hope you enjoyed getting to know Erlend a little better. Stay tuned as we shine a light on the unique personalities that make our team so great!
