Marije Linthorst
Marije Linthorst
Software Engineer

Marije Linthorst is a software developer for Nedap Security Management who has recently graduated from Nedap University. Before that, she studied Biomedical Engineering at the University of Twente.

 

How Nedap University opened the door to programming for me

Nedap first came on my radar when a friend told me he’d got a contract here and talked really enthusiastically about what a great company it is. He knew I was looking for a job and told me about Nedap University and how it gives you an opportunity to work while studying software development. I wasted no time sending my application in.

 

Apply learnings straightaway

The Nedap University programme includes six modules, each lasting 10 weeks with a summer holiday in between. During that time, you combine study with working at Nedap as a software developer. This includes attending lectures at the University of Twente, a module presented by Nedap colleagues and a module delivered by third-party providers.

The combination of work alongside study is a brilliant opportunity to put what you’re learning into practice straightaway. And I learned a lot! I learned to program in different languages, namely Java, Kotlin and Python. And I learned about things like network systems, databases, scrum, architecture and UX.

I also found that my Nedap colleagues were very supportive. While providing plenty of opportunity to be hands-on at work, they understood I needed to prioritise studying and were very motivating about getting the most out of it.

 

Developing well-rounded skills

Nedap University isn’t just about learning to develop software though. It’s also about learning to be a critical software developer and getting introduced to how things work at Nedap. To help me develop myself, I was coached by a colleague, which helped a lot.

 

Growing confidence

In the first two modules, we learned about programming in Java and networking. I had little experience of programming before Nedap University and was lacking in confidence about my programming skills. Slowly but steadily that changed though. By the third module, my seven fellow Nedap University students and I were expected to create an application. Initially, I had no idea how to do that but during the next eight weeks we had a lot of fun and, ultimately, created a brilliant application. I really enjoyed working on that project.

 

Distance learning and working

I graduated from Nedap University during the COVID-19 pandemic, so it’s been very unusual times. For the last six weeks of Nedap University I had to work from home. Fortunately, the University of Twente made its lectures and other meetings available online, so I was able to complete my studies. It was strange, though, only meeting other Nedap University students and my team digitally and I’m really looking forward to celebrating face-to-face when that becomes possible.

 

A really supportive team

Now I’ve graduated from Nedap University, I’m working with my team on developing AEOS fulltime. There’s still a lot I don’t know about AEOS, so I’m learning more and more each day. Working from home makes this more of a challenge, but my team is really helpful and I’m learning a lot thanks to them. They’re very motivated and happy, always open for critique and work well together.

I think that when team members are happy, and feel comfortable talking openly to one other, more work gets done and the quality of the work is better. It’s harder to do this digitally, but our team has a good foundation.

 

Staying agile for the future

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a powerful reminder that things can change very quickly and on a global scale. So, while I think people will continue wanting an access control system that’s secure and easy to use, I’m keeping an open mind about what might change for our industry. I think the ability to adapt quickly and work on relevant solutions for real-life will be really key to my role.

 

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