Role Model Blog: Maaret Pyhäjärvi, CGI
Tue, 05 Aug 2025 09:18:37 +0000
The goal is to leave work each day a little better than when you walked in. Improvement does not have to come from big courses or certifications. It can come from a single good conversation with a colleague, or from reflecting on something you struggled with that day.
About me
I am Maaret Pyhäjärvi, a tester, a programmer, and currently the Director of Testing Services at CGI. My role is all about ensuring that we deliver high-quality testing that truly supports our customers’ needs.
I have been in the industry for 28 years, and my path into testing was anything but planned. I originally studied both the Greek language and computer science, and someone saw an unusual opportunity in that combination—testing the Greek version of Microsoft Office. That unexpected match launched my career.
Working at CGI
I absolutely love my job at CGI. I joined because I wanted to contribute to meaningful, locally relevant software in Finland, and CGI delivers on that. The people are welcoming, the work versatile, and even in remote settings, the support network is strong and well-established.
My study path in the IT field
When I finished high school, I was not motivated by computers at all. I actually planned to become a chemical engineer. But that dream quickly changed after doctors warned me that my allergies could make it a life-threatening career choice. I had to rethink my future.
By pure chance, I ended up applying to study mechanical engineering. A friend needed a ride to the technical university to register for the entrance exams, and since I had a car, I gave her a ride—and decided to take the exam myself. Surprisingly, I got in. I gave it a shot, took some courses, but soon realized that mechanical engineering just did not spark my interest.
What did inspire me, though, was the university itself. The social atmosphere, the sense of community—it was amazing. I started exploring other fields and became intrigued by computer science. That curiosity grew, and eventually, I decided to pursue a degree in Computer Science.
I ended up taking a course in Assembly language—an incredibly low-level form of programming. Surprisingly, I found it fun, and this is what I wanted to study. I absolutely loved the idea of moving some blocks with a set of commands, and then building languages on top of that. From Assembly, studies guided me into Lisp, a tricky language, but something about its complexity really drew me in.
So it was never about a particular technology or a particular language; it was about all of them. What excited me was learning how all the pieces fit together, and more importantly, where they could break. Testing meant diving deep into systems, finding the blind spots, and the vulnerabilities. Others might know how the technology works, but as a tester, you learn how it fails, and that’s where the real insight lies.
A typical day at my job
Honestly, no two days are ever the same. I don’t really have a “typical” day; each one brings something new. Take today, for example: I’ll be spending the rest of it writing a forty-page document that outlines our most modern testing approach—capturing how we’re evolving and pushing things forward.
The secret to staying up to date in IT
I learn from a mix of sources, and I like to blend them. I actually google much less these days. Instead, I have conversations with ChatGPT. AI is a better conversationalist resource in many ways.
When I use ChatGPT, it’s not just about getting the “right” answers, but rather, I’m looking for an external imagination that stretches what’s already in me. I use it to stretch my own thinking.
As a tester, I’m not just seeking confirmations. I’m especially interested in ideas that challenge what I believe or have experienced. These help me make informed, intentional decisions. I stay in control, but AI acts as an external imagination that feeds my own.
Another major learning source for me is social software engineering. I discovered it about a decade ago, and it was a game-changer. Practices like ensemble programming and ensemble testing—where a whole group works together at one computer gave me access to something incredibly valuable: the “unknown unknowns.”
Another key way I keep learning is through conferences. I attend a lot of them—not just as a listener, but as a speaker too. So far, I’ve delivered around 570 talks in my career, and I’ve probably listened to over 5,700 sessions. I absorb pieces and ideas, and then I have conversations about those. That’s when learning really happens for me.
Speaking at conferences has also become a major source of growth. After presenting, people often come up to me to talk about what I shared. These moments spark new ideas and connections. And sometimes, when I ask a question during a session, someone in the room already knows the answer and is eager to share it. That kind of instant learning is powerful, far faster and richer than anything I could do alone.
Overcoming the fear of public speaking—570 talks later
What might surprise people is that I did not start as a confident speaker. I used to be terrified of public speaking. I would faint—or feel like I might—just introducing myself. But I realized something important: this fear was a limitation I could not live with. I did not want it to define me. So I made a decision—I would work through it.
It wasn’t a sudden transformation. I practiced. I persisted. I kept showing up, even when it was uncomfortable. And over time, something changed. With every talk I gave, I built confidence. I reflected, improved, and most importantly, I kept going. Eventually, what once felt like a crippling fear became one of my greatest strengths.
Maaret Pyhäjärvi, Director of Testing Services, CGI
How did I convince myself to overcome my fear?
I owe a lot to my mother. She taught me one of the most important life lessons: whatever you struggle with, you can improve. It’s not magic—it’s persistence.
That stuck with me. She taught me that the trick is to face what makes you uncomfortable and keep going until it doesn’t feel uncomfortable anymore. Overcoming my fear of public speaking was more about doing the hard thing over and over again until it became natural. You do not need to master everything at once. You just need to start stretching in the right direction.
This mindset has helped me at work in a very practical way. In tech, we are constantly surrounded by new tools, languages, and frameworks. It’s impossible to know everything upfront. But I have learned to say: “I do not know this yet, but I know how to learn.” I do not wait to master something before I use it. If I understand even half of it, I will start applying what I can.
The power of continuous learning
This approach to learning, little by little, every single day, piles up. It’s like a river made from countless small streams. Each moment of growth may feel small, but over time, it builds something powerful.
I often say, “The goal is to leave work each day a little better than when you walked in.” Improvement does not have to come from big courses or certifications. It can come from a single good conversation with a colleague, or from reflecting on something you struggled with that day.
The best tip I can give
If I had just one piece of advice to offer, it would be this: start speaking your mind. The thoughts and ideas inside your head? No one will ever know them unless you choose to share them. It does not have to be perfect. Just start. You can begin by writing. Blogging is a powerful tool. I’ve been doing it for years, and recently, I checked, my blog has reached 1.2 million views.
Another powerful way to share your voice is public speaking. The size of the audience does not matter at first-just begin. Over time, those audiences grow. And more importantly, they talk back. They respond, they question, they share their own insights. That interaction, that conversation, it’s how real growth happens. Speaking your mind creates collaboration.
How to improve oneself daily?
It`s simple, really: you recognize something difficult. Then you do it. You only learn to do things you don’t know by doing them.
My favorite TED talk and quote
My favorite TED talk is Where are the baby dinosaurs? by Jack Horner, and the quote that resonates with me is “Don’t ask forgiveness, radiate intent” by Elizabeth Ayer.
The post Role Model Blog: Maaret Pyhäjärvi, CGI first appeared on Women in Tech Finland.
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