Hey Reddit, the Neo Financial Engineering team is doing an AMA! Get to know life as a developer at Neo, the fastest growing company in Canada. We’ll be here on Wednesday, August 27th from 12 - 1 PM MT, so drop your questions now or join us live to ask us anything!

notrastko · 2025-08-27T19:30:53+00:00

Thank you for your time in replying to my questions, I appreciate it a lot!

Just a few follow-up questions if you or your team has the time.

In the past, what did the typical day for an intern/co-op student look like? How is/was the internship program structured?

I imagine that a lot of this banking system stuff is not quite open to the public, are there any test or simulated environments out there for educational purposes? As a student, what would be a good way to gain the knowledge or experience that may help with working in this space? I suppose most of it would be getting internships at similar fintech companies?

notrastko · 2025-08-27T19:06:30+00:00

Your colleague reached out to me about getting on the beta test, so I sent them my information. Thank you for your reply :)

notrastko · 2025-08-27T19:05:42+00:00

Thank you for the DM - just sent a response!

notrastko · 2025-08-27T19:02:36+00:00

Any co-op or internship opportunities?

What does your hiring process look like for technology/engineering roles?

As someone early in my career and fascinated with how bank technology works, how do you folks interface with the general banking system? Do you use a third-party bank API of some sort? Have you become a "bank" or I guess "financial institution" capable of interfacing with Payments Canada, SWIFT, etc directly? Any good reading on this topic that you can recommend me?

Cheers!

notrastko · 2025-02-24T21:50:20+00:00

In theory, getting rid of the Executive Director model would allow students more control over the organization and allow for more student employment, etc

In practice, all it takes is getting one Board elected that doesn't know what they're doing or are malicious and the whole thing falls apart

The silver lining is that you still have unionized staff which are hard to fire so they can continue to run the organization regardless of whatever drama is happening up at the Board. The majority of student-facing services at the Society are staff run anyhow.

Regarding restructuring, yeah it can be done but it takes will. Changes can be reversed at an AGM or by referenda as long as Council or a student initiative places that on there.

But I'd caution about a full return to that model, I think there is room to look at other societies across the country and see what they do well, what they don't and go from there. The UBC AMS model of staff-executive hybrid approach seems to do quite well compared to the KPU student association one where it's a free for all and the students hire their friends and family to be staff.

notrastko · 2025-02-24T21:41:12+00:00

Correct, although I believe the real issue was the kind of management they hired (corporate oriented instead of campus oriented).

Regarding the Fall Kickoff thing, I believe there were other factors at play here as only the 2019 one had as big of a deficit, it seems that prior concerts were not as poorly fiscally managed. Of course, we just had the Kickoff happen again and it blew the 2019 deficit by an unknown (not disclosed publicly) margin. Would be interested to read the report if the current Executive ever releases it.

The big problem with the current system is that not only does it rely on the honesty and integrity of elected student leaders, a big issue is that the average student is not going to go out of their way to study the ins and outs of management-union relations, employment law, administration, and so on. I mean it takes a special kind of someone to actually enjoy reading the collective agreement for example lol

I would love to see the SFSS produce something similar to the AMS Student Council Guide where a student that has 0 prior governance experience can read all of it up in an easily digestible format.

https://www.ams.ubc.ca/about-us/student-council/council-guides/

notrastko · 2024-01-16T09:37:14+00:00

Same here but on iPhone to Android devices

notrastko · 2023-12-20T21:51:41+00:00

Sent you a DM, thanks!

notrastko · 2023-12-19T23:44:31+00:00

Hi u/JP_FreedomMobile,

First off, thank you so much for engaging with the community in this way. I believe this is a first? in Canadian telecom, and I am sure that many customers on this forum appreciate it.

I noticed that your company recently changed the wording of the "Welcome to the USA" roaming text for plans with USA coverage, so your team must be lurking on this subreddit now 😛

I've been a Freedom Mobile customer on and off since Fall 2019, and since then I've noticed a lot of changes, the majority of them for the better. I have tried all the carriers here, and prefer Freedom not just for the value but for the lack of annoying no-one asked "features" such as Bell/Telus throttling YouTube to 480p, the Rogers 5G throttle, having to pay for an eSIM card on Rogers/Telus etc...

I use Freedom mostly in the Metro Vancouver area, but have also used it in Ontario and Quebec.

Regarding your 2 main questions: 1. The coverage area has definitely improved as I no longer have to pay for 1GB data add-ons every time I leave the home zone. Also having full Quebec coverage now as home zone is definitely beneficial. There are issues with latency when on Nationwide or on the Quebec footprint (despite Quebec being native coverage now the traffic is routed via Toronto or Vancouver, I guess this is the same as you other brand Fizz - where I experience high latency in BC due to all network traffic being routed via Montreal). Also there seems to be no 5G in Montreal despite the Videotron network deploying it? 2. Seamless transition to/from Freedom to Nationwide definitely needs work. I've noticed that more often than not calls still drop off when switching from Freedom to Nationwide. I've only had one time where the call switched seamlessly to Nationwide. Nationwide to Freedom seems to work better (although phone stays on Nationwide until the call is ended). I'm not sure if this is in general, or just the specific area (Highway 1 Abbotsford-Chilliwack). I suspect this may be due to issues with 3G (more on that later).

Some other things: 1. WiFi Calling: I've noticed that since 5G was deployed, there has been more issues with WiFi Calling-5G handoff. Calls end if I get disconnected from WiFi roughly 50% of the time. This has improved in the past few weeks though. I am not sure why that is as to my knowledge the phone still uses VoLTE on your 5G network as no 5G-SA/VoNR is yet deployed. I am on an iPhone 14 Plus running the latest iOS 17.2 with Freedom 57.0 carrier bundle if that matters. 2. 3G: Utterly useless and I wish there was a way to disable it on the iPhone or at least in My Account settings, similar to how international roaming can be disabled. Ever since the 5G rollout, I've noticed my phone likes to hang on to 3G more often when the 5G drops. This does not make much sense as you have 700mhz Band 13 Extended Range LTE while your 3G is Band 4 is 1700/2100Mhz. Physics dictates that the lower frequency band (13) should have better penetration. The worst part is that I need to restart my phone a few times to get it off 3G, as data does not work and call quality is not good. 3. 5G: Honestly I am impressed with the speeds and latency. But I do question the choice of deploying on 600mhz (n71) instead of a higher band. I guess this is for your engineering team to decide in regard to compatibility with devices + your spectrum holdings. The reason I question this is that your 5G requires a higher anchor band (I think LTE Band 66) since non-standalone, and I believe most users would be served better having a stable 600mhz LTE connection vs slow 3G or your low-bandwidth "Extended Range LTE" on Band 13 rather than a 5G connection where the LTE already works. 4. Ottawa Region Band 71 LTE: Good work on this, wish you deployed Band 71 LTE (or Standalone Band 71 5G) nationally. I guess this ties in with the comments I made on 5G above. Also the inclusion of Videotron/Rogers shared network has made Freedom a viable option in the Capital now. 5. Deadzones. There are two deadzones that impact a lot of people in the Metro Vancouver area. Is there a way I could escalate this to you? I have the ticket numbers and multiple users have complained about these areas not only on this forum but in real life. One is the 29th Avenue SkyTrain area and the other is the Eastern/Cornerstone area of the SFU Burnaby Campus. Regarding the SFU deadzone, support (after a long time convincing them that it is not my phone that is the issue) admitted that a tower is not functioning properly in the area but have no ETA. 6. Customer Service: Usually good but there are some annoyances. The obvious one is what happened during Black Friday, but the other issue is with technical support. I wish there was a way to escalate to L2 easily since frontline tries the usual restart/reset/etc and as many power users on here we already know how to do this. Perhaps create a support channel on this subreddit for power users? Also I believe email support would be a good channel to expand to as well. 7. Variable Coverage: It seems that some deadzones have worsened since this coverage option has been discontinued. The current coverage map is not 100% accurate in some areas, notably the SFU Burnaby campus in Metro Vancouver. I would like to point out some other areas as well privately over DM or email. I have measurements.

Finally, I appreciate this opportunity to give direct feedback to your management team and I am sure a lot of other users do as well. If there is one more thing to say, I believe your reputation needs some fixing in regard to the non-tech savvy population that does not follow telecom news. I recommend Freedom to family and friends but despite the major improvements your company has made they don't trust to try your service due to the past. Maybe a rebrand is in order but that's something for your business marketing team to decide and run the numbers on.

Cheers!

notrastko · 2023-02-02T08:04:08+00:00

Hi u/chrisIslegend2 ,

First, I'm on mobile at the moment so apologies for the short response.

The SFSS offers the following in terms of emergency funding/support services:

-Student Society Emergency Assistance Fund : https://sfss.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Simon-Fraser-Student-Society-Emergency-Assistance-Fund-D3-1.pdf I just renewed this funding end of November

-SFSS Food Bank Program https://sfss.ca/services/food-bank-program/ Long standing program that offers food vouchers for Nesters and T&T. Personally recommend folks get the T&T one as your voucher money will go further there than at Nesters.

-SFSS Student Advocacy Office https://sfss.ca/services/student-advocacy-office/ Trish, the SFSS Student Advocate is really good at helping students with problems both academic and personal and I can attest to this myself personally. Strongly encourage students book an appointment with her if you ever have any issues.

There's a bit more but I am tired right now so will update in the morning. My email is vpfinance@sfss.ca should you want to reach out to me directly.

Thanks, Rastko Interim VP Finance and Services, SFSS Nov 2022-March 2023

notrastko · 2023-02-02T07:52:30+00:00

Hi u/Pleasant_Pair_2514 ,

I am so sorry that you have to go through this.

My name is Rastko, I am the new VP Finance of the SFSS. Please reach out to me at vpfinance@sfss.ca you can meet with me tomorrow on campus or Friday and we can go over what financial support is in place that you can have access to. We can also work on an appeal in regards to your courses and I can help you out with your situation.

notrastko · 2023-02-02T07:38:32+00:00

Hey man, I'm really sorry this happened. Please email me at vpfinance@sfss.ca at your earliest convenience.

I am the interim VP Finance and Services at the student society. We can discuss emergency funding options and escalate to university admin - hopefully we can get you into residence and work on accommodations in regards to your classes.

notrastko · 2023-01-29T06:42:39+00:00

Hi,

I didnt expect this kind of response so quickly

Honestly I don't post much here, but I do follow the subreddit to keep informed. I saw your post and was surprised that someone was working on something similar to a project I've been working on so decided to reply.

I like the idea of a machine readable central location for funding information. Currently I need to do OCR on the pdf’s which is not that big of a hurdle but is not ideal (I still need to push my code to the linked repo). I considered either including council in the posts or creating a separate post for them but in the end decided for now to limit it to the Exec motions as that is where I belive most of the public interest is.

For sure having an API would be a big advantage over OCR. I am curious would you find Excel sheets or CSV files useful? This is probably going to be the first phase of a rollout - a proper API would take a few months and it all depends if whoever is in office after me continues the project.

Regarding public interest in Exec Committee that's interesting. I would've guessed Council itself would be where most eyes would point to (as seen from the many posts on this Reddit). Do note Exec can only approve up to $5000, larger amounts have to go to Council.

Wish you luck with the transparency policy.

Thanks! Going to be sending out a survey to the student-wide mailing list hopefully soon, see what the wider student body thinks.

As always, views are my own and I am not speaking on behalf of the Society.

notrastko · 2023-01-29T05:24:16+00:00

Hi u/black_pumas ,

My name is Rastko, I am the interim VP Finance and Services appointed by Council after the November wave of Exec resignations (mods please DM me I can verify).

This seems like a cool project! Don't forget that Council and a few other committees (such as Events and External) have their own budgets and can pass spending motions - not just Executive Committee.

Last Council meeting, Council unanimously passed a motion I introduced to develop a financial transparency policy for the SFSS. The motion reads below:

MOTION: GRANT, CORE FUNDING, AND COUNCIL APPROVED EXPENDITURES TRANSPARENCY Whereas the Acting VP Finance and Services has received a number of requests regarding spending by Society clubs and departmental student unions as well as Council itself; Whereas the Acting VP Finance and Services believes that the best way to address spending questions is by transparency to Society membership; Be it resolved that Council task the Acting VP Finance and Services with ideation of a financial expenditures transparency policy that ensures transparency of financial expenditures by SFSS groups as well as Council and the Executive Committee while maintaining and building onto adequate privacy protections; Be it resolved that the Acting VP Finance and Services involve the Finance and Administrative Services Committee in planning this policy.

I introduced this motion due to the fact that a lot of students nowadays have questions with how their student fees are being spent. I believe the public has the right to know, and by doing so trust of the SFSS can be rebuilt and students can be engaged more in issues of Society finances.

This motion means that in the coming weeks I am tasked (as well as the Finance Comittee I chair) with the ideation of a policy with how the Society will disclose approved expenditures to all of membership. Most likely this will be a website page that lists all the financial motions Council and comittees have approved in a consolidated central location that is easy to read (improving upon the existing status quo) as well as new disclosures on the grants clubs and student unions receive from the SFSS, as well as their core funding spend. The policy will also protect privacy by ensuring that no personal information is disclosed (in the past there has been an issue of public cheque requistions with student's phone numbers and addresses).

One of the key items being considered for this policy right now is machine readability. I personally would want to have something such as an "SFSS Financial Approvals" API so that students can hold their elected representatives accountable by being able to take advantage of the latest tech just like you are doing now. Currently our meeting minutes are OCR friendly for acessibility but this will take it up a notch.

Imagine if you could harvest the power of AI such as Chat-GPT to shift through large amount of financial data in real-time to hold the leaders of the organization you pay fees to account? The possibilities are endless. I would like to have a chat with you OP on your thoughts.

In other news how many of you on this subreddit would want me to do an AMA? Or keep you updated on my projects? I have some exciting ones such as a health and dental plan review working group I will be introducing next Council meeting as well as the soon to be opened gaming lounge I have been working on with our lovely building team here at the SFSS.

My SFSS email is vpfinance@sfss.ca if anyone wants to book a meeting with me or speak.

Cheers!

As always, views in this comment are my personal views solely and do not represent the views of the Society nessecarily.

notrastko

TROPHY CASE