"At ENTER, you are really valued as a human being. They really look at who you are, you're not just someone with two hands who can do the job. They look much further and that, in turn, is something that I value immensely within ENTER. That really sticks with me and it is also confirmed time and time again. This combined with the way ENTER matches you to a project, makes me very happy." Speaking is Ramon van der Werf, software engineer.
Ramon has been working at ENTER for almost 3 years now and has worked on great projects during that time. His current project for an international oil company involves building and cleaning up the software process. "It is a very old codebase that I am working with. This code is used to analyze seismic data," he says. Sound waves are used to search for oil or gas. These sound waves are sent into the ground (or sea) and come back at some point. Based on the observed echoes, it can be determined whether there is oil in the ground, for example. Ramon: "It's basically ultrasound scanning on a macroscopic scale".
Growth perspective
Before Ramon specialized as a software engineer, he was a graduate chemist. "I was more on the physical side of chemistry, such as determining structures of biomolecules. At one point, I worked as an MRI physicist for a while. " However, this direction offered him little security in terms of job prospects, so Ramon decided to go into IT. "I first spent 7 years with another company before making the switch to ENTER," he says. And he still really likes that switch. "At ENTER, you have a lot of say when it comes to the projects you can work on. I really like that myself. At my previous secondment company, I was shoved in horizontally of 'this is what you're going to do' and there the growth perspective was not as good”.
"At ENTER, there is also a lot of focus on development," Ramon continues. Currently, he doesn't quite know in which direction he wants to develop further, but the ambition to grow is there. "ENTER provided me with a coach to determine a career perspective for myself. Standing still in this field is not going to help you move forward."
Different cultures
Like any project, Ramon's current one also has its challenges. The biggest challenge for him was the start-up. "That might sound a bit weird, but with online working and working from home these days, settling in takes a lot more time." Ramon has worked for this oil company before, so he has some experience of how things are done. "It is a big international company where the working language is English. The different cultures you encounter on a daily basis also make the work more fun."
Even though the combination of work and a family with two young children is sometimes tough and also sometimes stressful, Ramon keeps his cool. His heart beats faster for aikido. "In my spare time I practice aikido, which gives me a lot of energy. It gives me a direction in daily life and gives peace of mind. Aikido is often seen as a martial art, but it is actually a defense sport that has its roots in Japan. The underlying philosophy is non-violence." Another of Ramon's hobbies is sailing, something he has unfortunately not gotten around to doing enough. This year, he hopes to take to the water again! "Enjoying the wind, clearing your head and enjoying nature. I can recommend it to everyone."