Spotlight: Øystein Svingen

From internship to team lead 

Øystein Svingen has experienced one of the most rapid career progressions in Omega 365's history. In under two years, he has gone from internship to team lead at Omega 365 Solutions.

At the Stjørdal office, Team Lead Øystein Svingen took time for an interview with Inside. The system developer has experienced a remarkable career progression. Just a couple of years ago, he was in a completely different place in life. At Omega 365, he was given an opportunity that he fully embraced. Now, Øystein is eager to pay it forward by supporting and promoting others. He thrives in his role as Team Lead for mobile development.

“Team Lead role is all about helping people and making sure they’re doing well, while also taking on technical responsibilities and driving progress,” says Øystein. 

Mobile customization

Øystein has been involved with the mobile customization project since joining Omega 365 in the winter of 2022. Two years ago, he began as an intern, contributing to the development of a prototype for the Omega 365 mobile app—a pilot project initiated by the Stjørdal office.

It apparently went “quite well,” says Øystein with a smile. That’s an understatement we’ll revisit. At Omega 365 Solutions, Øystein’s extensive experience and expertise in system development have been put to good use. He now works full-time with a team of three system developers, focusing on converting the Omega 365 system into a mobile-friendly interface.

Self-taught developer

The journey toward a permanent position in a professional system development environment has been anything but straightforward.

Like many developers, Øystein is self-taught. At the age of six or seven, he began creating batch scripts—text files that run in Windows—which he used to develop small video games.

“That was the start,” says Øystein.

He doesn’t recall exactly how he got into it, but eventually, he found like-minded people on the game development platform Roblox, where he built a solid international reputation. Øystein became so well-known that Roblox offered him a summer job in the U.S. when he was just 17.

“That would have been really cool, but I didn’t get a visa,” says Øystein.

At the same time, his motivation in high school started to fade.

Internship via private student program

“I like learning, but I didn’t like school. I prefer to learn things on my own. In high school, I just couldn’t be bothered with anything,” says Øystein.

He dropped out of high school in his first year. Eventually, life came to a standstill, and Øystein found himself out of both work and studies.

During the pandemic, Norwegian high schools began offering free exam preparation for private candidates. Øystein decided to take advantage of the opportunity. At 25, he was ready to take action. As part of his path toward a Higher Education Entrance Qualification, he needed an internship through the private candidate program.

So, what was Øystein most interested in? Naturally, it was programming. Fortunately, one of the high school counselors knew the Department Manager at Omega 365 in Stjørdal, Lars Aas Kjebekk.

“Just took off from there”

Lars clearly remembers his first meeting with Øystein. Along with Department Manager and system developer Mohamad Jamil Mohamad, he met a reserved young man who mostly kept his head down. However, when the conversation turned to programming, Øystein’s expertise immediately stood out. He was so knowledgeable that Omega 365 in Stjørdal quickly arranged an internship for him through the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration.

They met on a Friday, and by Monday morning, Øystein’s journey at Omega 365 had begun with his first day of work experience.

“It just took off from there,” says Lars.

“The training period was much shorter than expected. Øystein was assigned to work on the mobile customization of the Omega 365 system and quickly grasped the tasks.

There was no need to keep him in training for longer than a week. Øystein just needed to be ‘set free,’” says the department manager.

“He became very skilled very quickly and emerged as a leading figure in the team,” adds Lars.

Øystein himself hesitates to phrase it this way, but he recalls that early on, people frequently came to him with questions.

The outcome of his three-month internship was a permanent position as a system developer at the Stjørdal office.

Lars describes Øystein's growth over the past two years as "incredible," both personally and professionally. During this time, the Stjørdal office has also evolved, necessitating a new structure for managing the work. Now, three Team Leads are responsible for different areas of expertise, and Øystein leads the team focusing on mobile conversion. This makes him likely the first person in Omega 365's history to transition from intern to Team Lead in less than two years. 

According to Lars, there are several reasons for this. While Øystein's technical abilities played a big part, the Team Lead role also fits his interpersonal skills very well. 

“Øystein is great at taking responsibility and looking after people. He wants to pay it forward, help others, and see them thrive,” Lars explains.

“Crazy that they took the chance”

Last year, while working at Omega 365, Øystein completed his final upper secondary school subjects. The developers working on the mobile initiative are based in Ølensvåg, and Øystein travels there every other month. He recently made the 760-kilometer trip from Stjørdal on a motorcycle, having just earned both his car and motorcycle licenses.

“Not everyone would take a chance on a guy with no education or work experience. It's pretty crazy that they did, and I'm really grateful for it,” says Øystein, reflecting on his journey.

“I've gained a lot more confidence, and I just feel better overall. I’m not as afraid of things anymore. I’m more willing to jump into things and take risks, like this interview,” he adds.

He's thankful that he took the initiative to call Lars Aas Kjebekk and Omega 365 in Stjørdal.

“There was a small chance I wouldn’t have made that call. But I’m so glad I did,” says Øystein.

When asked what the job at Omega 365 has meant to him, Øystein’s answer is simple:

“Everything.”

About Spotlight

Spotlight highlights and celebrates Omega 365's team members and their efforts. We believe there are contributions, personalities, and developments throughout Omega 365 that deserve recognition and acknowledgment. You may have a colleague who has made a breakthrough, improved workplace moral, or secured a significant contract – we want to know about them and we want to celebrate them! Nominate a Spotlight candidate by sending your tips to lauren@omega365.com.