‘You get the puzzles here that other organizations have lost track of’

From software development to databases

I took a mbo course (mid-level college degree) in software development at the ROC’s ICT campus. It may seem strange that I then ended up at OptimaData, because software development and databases are not necessarily related, but there’s a story behind that. During my education, I was mainly busy making websites and apps, databases were sort of an afterthought.

When I had to look for an internship, I asked myself: Is there still a gap in my knowledge? That’s how I ended up with databases and ended up at OptimaData. Here I discovered that databases are really cool. I started my internship in February this year and my internship ended in June.

Main responsibility: develop a dashboard

During my internship at OptimaData, my main responsibility was to develop a dashboard for the HealthChecks that OptimaData performs. These HealthChecks collect a large amount of data about clients’ database environments. Traditionally, OptimaData employees searched this data manually, which is time-consuming and, more importantly, produces a large amount of numbers.

I created a dashboard that visualizes this data in graphs, allowing clients to easily track the status and developments of their databases. Ultimately, the goal is to create a kind of customer portal where the customer can see the developments in their database. Then, of course, they can see very clearly how all the error messages are decreasing since they have been working with OptimaData. Furthermore, I’ve given a lot of presentations and demos about that dashboard. Furthermore, I’ve given a lot of presentations and demos on that dashboard. I’ve also walked along in the daily operations. Like attending the daily stand-up every morning, attending the management service meetings, this gave me a good insight into the work processes and the team.

Technical skills and communication

I gained a lot of technical skills, as you can expect at a technical company. But in my opinion, the most important thing I learned was communication and dealing better with people in a formal atmosphere. A good example of something I learned is to complete the communication circle. Say you email a question and you get a response. Then it’s smart to send a quick note with: “I saw your reply, thank you. Small things, but they accumulate and I notice that now. I’ve become a lot better at communicating.

Puzzler

I have a passion for puzzling and problem solving, something I was able to put to good use during my internship. An example of this is my participation last year in an event called the Advent of Code. That’s kind of like an advent calendar, but with technical puzzles. Every day in December, you are given a new puzzle to solve. If you do it right, you officially get listed with people who have solved it. Last year I made it for the very first time, and I’m super happy with that.

It helped me a lot to develop technically and also to think better. For me, there’s nothing better than seeing a problem and thinking, “Hey, this is unsolvable. And when you start thinking about the issue and then you eventually find the solution, ‘Voila, this is how I can do it.’ It feels so good, to look back and seeing all you’ve accomplished.

Structuring and organizing

I am not very structured by nature, partly because of my autism. I find organizing things difficult. But I found that the structure of coming into the office daily and the daily meetings, helped me being more organized. Also, at OptimaData I got access to a lot of material that helps me plan better. For example, good planning books, decent agendas, and the like.

Flexibility and understanding

One of the things I appreciate most about OptimaData is the flexibility and understanding of my personal situation. As a caregiver for my mother, I sometimes had to go home earlier, something that was always okay. This understanding has had a great positive impact on me and has contributed to a positive work experience.

Advancement opportunities and new challenges

My internship is finished, but I get to stay at OptimaData. I’m now going to take a college course as a DBA. That coincides best with the work I’m now doing for OptimaData. And I’m going to do that part-time. So I’ll be working at OptimaData four days a week, and one day a week I’ll be going to school. I’m truly looking forward to that. I’m going to start on 1 September. So it’s going to be a busy period, but I’m looking forward to it.

Trust and respect

What I really like at OptimaData, besides the flexibility and understanding, is the trust and great respect for each other’s knowledge. What you have with people in the tech industry in general and DBAs in particular is that everyone has their own way. Often the thinking is: my way is good and yours is bad.

What I think is super cool about OptimaData is that you can have all these experts, all with their own vision, in one company without clashes. Everyone trusts each other and thinks, “OK, maybe you do things differently than I do, but I trust that you will do your job well. That makes for a very confidential working atmosphere with very good communication. Also, people here are really connected to each other. If people start a conversation at the coffee machine, it’s not because it’s the right thing to do. They are really curious to know how you are doing.

Varied and challenging work

That’s the great thing about working at a consulting firm. You get the problems here that other organizations have lost track of. You’re not likely to get into a rut here. There is a constant flow of new puzzles and challenges. That makes me want to go back to the office every day to see what’s on my plate next.

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