Why IT.
Even as a child I was very fascinated by IT and everything that had to do with computers & programs. In 1998 I started with the study Technical Business Administration. After my first work experience, I opted for a training program in the IT sector. I saw that web-development would give me the opportunity to continue to develop myself lifelong. This was (and still is) what I thought was fantastic. As fellow IT professionals probably recognize: every project requires new knowledge. In addition, these techniques change at lightning speed.
"Specialists I work with have the same mindset."
My first work experience
From student to my first work experience: recruiter. Here I was able to integrate my interest in people into my daily work life. During my time as a recruiter for tech companies, I visited very different locations and spoke to hundreds of people. These were junior specialists, but also experts with years of experience. In this job, I had a lot of variety, responsibility and independence. This gave me the opportunity to help companies and candidates develop and grow. Because of this dynamic, I enjoyed doing this for four years.
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship had been my ambition for a long time and in 2009 I started as an independent entrepreneur. I started with an offer for small clients: building, adjusting and maintaining websites. I continued to educate myself and started to focus more and more on Drupal development. This provided the opportunity for freelance consulting assignments that were more challenging. I have now been an entrepreneur for over 12.5 years.
"Being an entrepreneur means to me: taking responsibility, freedom to set your own priorities and last but not least: building long-term business relationships."
My specialism: Drupal
As a software developer you have to keep developing yourself. During my search for a specialization, I discovered Drupal: a framework for developing websites. Drupal is applied in very complex projects, therefore there is a lot to keep discovering and learning. These are two things that convinced me to specialize further.
"Drupal offers a lot of additional tools, online tutorials (of good quality!) ánd open-source."
After a few years, I joined the Drupal community. As a result, I met like-minded developers. We attended Drupal Dev Day's together and motivated each other to keep developing. So many people (from all over Europe) all with the same mindset: fantastic!
The Golden Combination
A short while back I felt it was time for a new challenge on a personal level.
Since 2021 I combine the independent execution of consultancy assignments with the recruitment of freelance Drupal specialists in the Netherlands and abroad. With this I combine my experience and help customers to solve a capacity and knowledge problem. In addition, I provide other Drupal specialists with new assignments and challenges.
"At the moment I recruit freelance Drupal specialists in the Netherlands and abroad"