‘Putting my knowledge and skills to use to make our product better is really rewarding

’

Reinier Klarenberg

Software Developer

Business Forensics

Opleiding

HAVO,
‘Computer Science’ at HAN University of Applied sciences 
‘Software Engineering’ at Fontys University of Applied Sciences

Software Developer, what does that mean?

My job is to write the software for our products, develop new features for our products and refactoring (updating) of our code to improve the quality. We have a ‘boy scout rule’ which means you have to ‘clean up’ if you find a piece of code that is not written well. Like boy scouts have to clean up litter if they find it somewhere. That way we keep our code in good shape. I work in a small team with a relaxt vibe. We work hard but there is plenty of room for relaxation too. We’re not just looking at our screen the whole day, sometimes we take some time to play table tennis for example.

What kind of projects are you involved with?

We are involved in various projects. Our software  analyses large quantity databases and structures that data to add logic to it. Our application makes connections between variables in the data and finds anomalies that you would normally not detect. This helps our clients to improve their business processes. We do all sorts of projects, for example: fraud detection for insurance companies, banks and governments.  But also analyses for defense and public safety and security organizations to improve their effectiveness and efficiency.  

Why did you pursue this career?

I have been busy with programming for a while. When I was younger I tried to hack games for example. As I got older I kept programming and it eventually became my job.

Can you name a milestone in your career?

For me that was the moment when I realized I was adding value to the company and the product with the effort I’ve put in. In the beginning you just go along with the workflow, but after a while you get more familiar with the job and can really add something and make a difference. Putting my knowledge and skills to use to make our product better is really rewarding.

How will your industry or job in particular change over the next few years? How do you keep up?

How the industry could change I don’t really know. At the moment we as developers deliver a default product which is customized specifically for our customers by our consultants. What we will be improving is the standardization of this configuration resulting in a more efficient process. For me this is a very interesting aspect because of my history in the development of process automation.

I keep up by doing. Outside of office hours I’m programming at home to learn new techniques and insights. At work we use C# and TypeScript, at home I try other languages like JavaScript that way I learn new ways to solve a problem. Hobby projects are always helpful for learning new stuff which you can later use in your work. For example right now I’m developing something that allows me to use separate hardware on different platforms without a delay if they are on the same Wi-Fi network. Think of using your laptop keyboard for your desktop without having to connect them physically.

How did you end up here after your study?

I have always been occupied with programming from a young age. So I thought I’d enroll for an HBO study computer science (informatica), that didn’t live up to my expectations so I quit. Later I tried a HBO study in software engineering, but again I quit in my second year. I then continued at the MBO but got bored and dropped out again. After I quit two HBO studies and consequently dropped out of MBO I contacted a recruiter. They set me up with Business forensics for an interview. After an interview and an assessment they gave me the opportunity to come work for them. I got a really nice vibe out of the interviews and was excited that they put their trust in me by giving me the opportunity to come work for them. Since then I work here and haven’t regretted my decision. Although I did not finish my studies they helped me a lot on the job. At school they try to teach you a way of thinking and approaching certain projects. Especially the more business related aspects were really useful to me.

Do you have any tips for up-and-coming talent?

Don’t sit there waiting, just do it! If you have an idea or plan, don’t doubt yourself but just go for it. I was hesitant to contact a recruiter after i quit my studies, but I did so anyway and it worked out great for me.

[Images by Frisse Focus]