Trusted Trainee

Blog post by FF trainee Konsta Suomalainen

When my previous traineeship in Brussels was nearing its end last year, I started looking for new opportunities in Finland so I could be closer to home. That is when I found Forward Forever. 

Forward Forever caught my eye because FF focuses fully on Microsoft Power Platform, which I already knew a bit from my studies and earlier work. The idea of focusing on one platform and working with people who really know it well felt exciting. 

Before the interviews, I spent some time reading about the company, its clients and its culture. The emphasis on collaboration and supportive colleagues stood out. It felt like a perfect fit for me to grow and learn. 

Now, nearing the halfway point of my six months here, I can say that feeling has stayed. People have been welcoming, supportive and always willing to help when I needed guidance. 

Still, when I look back at what I expected before starting, one thing stands out more than anything else: I have felt trusted from the very beginning. 

Trust Before Readiness

That feeling did not start on my first day. It had already started during the interview process. There was a clear roadmap for trainees, with half of the time focused on personal study and the other half on workshops and real work related tasks. It was clear that I would not just be watching from the side but actually contributing. 

That was something I liked immediately. I wanted to learn by doing, not by just sitting back. 

At the same time, the start was not exactly what I had imagined. My first month was slower than I expected, but in a good way. I was given time to build a foundation, get used to the company’s way of working and understand more before taking on more responsibility. Looking back, that was also part of the trust. I was not expected to know everything right away, but I still felt taken seriously from the start. 

On the study side, that has meant Microsoft Learn paths, YouTube and internal materials and I have had time to work on my thesis alongside everything, which has meant a lot to me. The workshops are run by our own colleagues, so the knowledge comes straight from people who have solved the same problems in real customer cases. And I have not gone through any of it alone. Marko and Markus are in the trainee program with me and we work through the same materials and workshops together. Some days that means one of us has already seen the topic before. Other days it just means having someone to think out loud with. 

On the customer side, I have been helping out on tickets across: 

• Power Automate 
• Power Apps 
• Dataverse 
• Dynamics 365 
• Azure 

Still, that is not how I used to think working life would begin. When I was younger and imagined the start of my career, I thought trust at work would come later. After I had proven myself. After I had built more technical depth. After I felt fully confident. I thought there would be a clear point where I would finally feel ready and only then would real responsibility follow. 

The Small Moments

Turns out, responsibility does not wait until you feel ready or confident. 

For me, responsibility has started to mean more than just being technically able to solve issues. It shows up in smaller moments too. Writing an email carefully because I know a client will read it. Asking questions when I am unsure. Admitting when I do not know something instead of giving a vague answer. Following through on smaller tasks and taking them seriously. 

Those moments may seem small, but they still matter. They make things easier for others and help work move forward. 

The more I find myself in those situations, the more I notice that this is where my confidence starts to grow. Not after everything feels certain, but while I am still figuring things out. 

I have also noticed how easy it would be to stay in the background. The safer option would be to let someone more experienced handle important conversations or questions. 

At Forward Forever, I have been encouraged to step forward instead. To take ownership, join discussions and ask more senior colleagues for clarity or support when I need it. That has made a big difference. Trust has not meant being left alone. It has meant being allowed to contribute while still learning and knowing support is there when I need it. 

It is not always comfortable, but every time I have chosen to step forward instead of staying quiet, I have learned something from it. 

Growing Into the Role 

While reading  The Trusted Advisor, a book recommended to me at the office, I started noticing the same ideas in what I had already been experiencing. Not as theory, but in everyday work. 

Trust does not really grow through big and impressive moments. It grows in ordinary interactions. In keeping promises, asking honest questions and focusing on the actual problem instead of trying to look like you already have everything under control. 

I used to think responsibility would come once I felt fully competent. But in this field, there is always something new to learn and technology keeps changing. I have started to understand that confidence does not come first and responsibility later. Confidence starts to grow while you are taking responsibility, asking questions and working through uncertainty. 

I have also started to see that being a trainee does not only mean learning for myself. Even in a junior role, I am part of how Forward Forever is experienced by others. Clients do not only notice technical results. They also notice how clearly we communicate, how we respond and how seriously we take their questions. Realizing that has made even smaller tasks feel more meaningful to me. 

It has also changed how I think about what being useful means. For me, being useful does not mean doing the most advanced work on my own. It means contributing in ways that help the team, support the work and eventually create value for customers too. 

Looking Ahead 

Because of the trainee program, I feel that I now have a solid foundation in Power Platform. More importantly, it has helped me understand better how I can contribute both to our customers and internally within the team. It has also helped me understand more clearly what kind of consultant I want to become. 

I want to become an advisor who is reliable, curious, honest about what I do not know and able to bring value through clear communication, continuous learning and taking responsibility step by step. 

That is also why I feel motivated about the second half of this traineeship. There are many interesting shifts happening in the Microsoft world right now, especially around AI assisted coding, AI Agents and Fabric. All of these feel exciting to me, not as separate topics, but as a continuation of what I am already learning: first building a strong foundation and then understanding how to apply it in ways that are useful and relevant. 

It feels good to grow as a trusted trainee, rather than simply being treated as one. 

Blog post writer, Power Platform Trainee: Konsta Suomalainen

Konsta is one of three trainees who joined Forward Forever in early 2026. After a year abroad, he returned to Finland and jumped straight into the FF trainee program.

Over the past four months, he has been deepening his Power Platform skills and learning from the best in the business. Along the way, he has also been wrapping up his Business Information Technology degree, making this the perfect launchpad for the next chapter of his career.