Rokas Anskinas
Robotics Developer and Scrum Master at SEB Global Services Vilnius
The best thing that a person can do is to be curious
Meet Rokas, a Robotics Developer and Scrum Master in the Automation department at SEB Global Services Vilnius, who highlights the significance of curiosity and having a clear vision of what interests you and where you want to grow. Starting from scratch in Automation and achieving success, Rokas demonstrates that curiosity, a thirst for learning, and strong team support are the keys to building a successful career path.
How did you start working at SEB?
After graduating from university, I was looking for opportunities and space for growth. I decided to apply for a position at SEB because it is one of the biggest and most stable employers in the Lithuanian market. However, I was rejected and switched my focus from large corporate job to Lithuanian smaller companies. After a while, I began looking for a new job. Encouraged by my friends' positive experiences at SEB, I decided to try with large corporations once again and applied to some of them. Thanks to my friends' recommendation, I reapplied to SEB as well and got the position.
What is your career path at SEB?
I currently work as a robotics developer and scrum master in the Automation department, but I initially joined SEB as a business operations specialist. After a while, my manager recognized my previous experience working in a technology company and assigned me to automation duties. Interestingly, I knew nothing about it at the time. Although I was writing scripts for myself, I still needed to learn a lot about automation. I am glad that back then, my manager was supportive, giving me opportunities and space to learn and acquire the needed skillset to work with RPA (Robotic Process Automation). Now, I am successfully working as a solution developer, constantly improving in my position.
I had no experience as a scrum master initially, but I developed an interest in it. When my team decided to promote someone internally to become a scrum master, my manager saw potential in me and offered the opportunity, which I accepted. My easy-going, energetic personality and ability to manage meetings and team dynamics made me a good fit.
Maybe in the future, I will choose one direction, but for now, I enjoy this combination and take the best parts of it.
Would you call your career path challenging?
I wouldn’t call this journey challenging but fun. There are hard tasks sometimes, but a career should be enjoyable. Throughout my career path, I try to do what I like and learn more about it. Also, I have a lot of support, which is also important. For example, my previous manager encouraged me to join my current team and was very supportive when I was getting the job I wanted.
Now, I enjoy building robots. If I ever stop enjoying it, I'll try something else. Despite never scripting or coding before joining SEB, my curiosity and the support from my managers have helped me succeed.
What learning and development opportunities do you see at SEB?
If you want to learn more about something, you can go straight to the SEB Campus. I like Pluralsight because I find more useful information there. However, to use these tools, you need to already be curious and know what exactly you would like to learn and develop. Most of the courses are great for entry-level to kickstart your interest in an exact topic that you chose.
To spark curiosity, you can find many examples of employees with exciting careers within SEB. It is motivational to learn more about what they do and look for new opportunities.
Is SEB a good place to develop a career?
Definitely. SEB is a big bank with many interesting positions in various departments and offers great professional development opportunities. There's a saying, "The world is yours." In this case, I’d say, "The bank is yours." Even after 15 years, you can still find new opportunities, both vertically and horizontally.
Additionally, a supportive environment is crucial. I’ve seen different managers and various stories of changing positions, so I'm glad that my previous and current managers and my team are supportive and encourage skill development and internal mobility, which is truly motivating.
Why is it important for employees to be curious?
I think it is the best trait that a person can have. It has helped me reach where I am today. Developing a career is much easier when you're eager to learn new things. The main thing is to find something interesting to be curious about. If you're too focused on your daily tasks and don't look for other opportunities, it's harder to discover what might captivate your interest.
At SEB, my colleagues often inspire my curiosity. When I see my colleagues engaged in interesting roles or working on exciting projects, it sparks my interest and makes me want to learn more.
What advice can you give to those who have just started their career or want to move to another position?
Working as a Scrum Master helped me realize the importance of soft skills, not only on the job but also for career development. Sometimes, you don't need a full set of technical skills if you have strong soft skills and a curiosity to learn. For example, one thing I appreciate about SEB is that it manages to hire lively and interesting people and is willing to invest time in teaching juniors.
What are your hobbies?
I have many hobbies. One of my latest passions would be dog agility. I also enjoy various sports with padel tennis and kite surfing being my favorites at the moment. I wouldn't refuse a fun board game night with friends as well, especially outdoors, as I really enjoy being in nature.
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