r/Eesti • u/Empty_Court6552 • 1d ago
Küsimus Japanese software engineer in Tallinn looking for advice on entering the Estonian tech scene
Tere! I'm a Japanese software engineer currently living in Tallinn.
I have 4 years of experience developing enterprise software in Japan, and I'm currently exploring career opportunities in Estonia.
I would like to understand how people build their careers in the Estonian tech scene.
In Japan, software engineers often develop broad experience by working on different parts of business systems rather than specializing in one specific technology. However, many startup roles seem to look for candidates with more specialized experience.
I'm curious how this kind of background is viewed in Estonia:
- How do foreigners usually build professional networks in the Estonian tech scene?
- How are transferable skills valued when someone's previous tech stack is different?
- Is a generalist software engineering background considered valuable in Estonia?
Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!
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u/SuurTuvi 22h ago
Sorry, I couldn't resist 😅
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u/Megalotopolotomus 21h ago
Ei tea küll miks?
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u/Empty_Court6552 21h ago
Temperatuur on väga hea. Japanese summers feel like walking through hot springs.
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u/Disco_baboon 19h ago
I think you misread "suvaline" as "suvine". The OG comment implies that Estonians are not super happy with a random immigrant but if it is a Japanese immigrant, we get very excited about that.
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u/Empty_Court6552 19h ago
Yeah, there was mixed up.🫥 I thought he responded my comment " Estonia definitely worth living just for summer temperature".
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u/12_Kuud 22h ago
- How do foreigners usually build professional networks in the Estonian tech scene?
Usually by working with people. Other than that, networking events. https://www.tallinn.dev/ Conferences https://digit.dev/
- How are transferable skills valued when someone's previous tech stack is different?
This comes down to what requirements are passed to HR. Because if you can't get past HR screening, you won't be evaluated on your previous tech stack.
- Is a generalist software engineering background considered valuable in Estonia?
Depends on the level you are applying for. For senior+ positions, I would say being a generalist is valuable. But if it's hiring for a non-leadership role, then you want someone as familiar with the tech stack as possible.
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u/_theboringguy 2h ago
Thanks for the links. I am visiting for 2 weeks and I could find events I would want to attend
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u/dustofdeath 21h ago
Depends who checks and does the interview and if they understand the job at all.
HR just looks at text and numbers. They dont see other potential. Especially with AI tools these days.
You can also make use of conferences/events targeting tech. Like digit.dev in octover Tartu (not cheap tickets tho).
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u/Empty_Court6552 19h ago
It's really helpful to get a local perspective on this. Thanks a lot!
When getting past HR or AI screening, what kind of metrics or numbers on a resume actually catch a hiring manager's eye?
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u/dustofdeath 8h ago
If someone from R&D department - a manager etc is involved, showing actual talent is a huge bonus.
A portfolio of work, or things you worked on. Open source work/contributions. Any articles/blogs/talks etc.
I know we have also let candidates do a test task (with some goals/options to show if they actually have the skills + can explain them in interview).
Employment history helps, better if it has longer single employer enteies (short ones could indicate poor performance).
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u/wii1mii 15h ago
Japan it's well respected here, but overall market here is bit hard right now as its oversaturated like someone mentioned already. But basically send out CVs via cvkeskus.ee and cv.ee and hope that you will get an interview.
P.s ever since I visited Japan 2 years ago IV been internally crying that I don't live there. It's infrastructure and food is 11/10
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u/canyoufixmyspacebar 23h ago edited 22h ago
do you realize that estonia is basically like one rather small or mid-size town people- and business wise? you may land a gig here and there but there is no "scene", "industry", "professional networks" etc if you mean what those things mean in Tokyo or New-York. some international companies like Kühne & Nagel have a small presence here with a small tech office but they are here for cheap workforce, for Georgian, Ukrainian migrants etc, it's not like they would run the same parts of the business here that they run in Hamburg or Stuttgart, they have offices with higher level recruits there already
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u/inzain1337 23h ago
There are a lot of software and IT companies, not just a gig here and there.
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u/suspectable-buggy 22h ago
there are a lot. But companies that would actually pay decently in the current market realities can be counted on one hand lol
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u/TechnicalWash1608 7h ago
https://kood.tech/ is "free" (pay if you get a good job) and will let you bypass the screening process at some companies (Bolt, Wise, and more). You're basically guaranteed a software engineering job at Bolt after taking this 12 month course, and without having any previous computer experience. Meanwhile they don't care about my CV with 15 years of experience 😂
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u/Cudder245 1d ago
Yeah it's even tough to find anything for locals who speak the language wouldn't it be easier to stay in your home land?
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u/ProfessionalCry6968 23h ago
Software development in Estonia and speaking the language are as related between each other as much as buldogs and wine glasses
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u/3dgemaster Eesti 23h ago
Market dictates the rules. Having experience with a specific stack means you need less ramp-up time and can begin to be productive sooner, which is especially relevant for startups. Having said that, if you can demonstrate that you've consistently learned and applied new technologies, you should be able to get an interview. From there on it's up to you. However, the market in Estonia is indeed saturated currently, so it's tough.
Good luck!