Working in technology is becoming increasingly popular

‍Technology courses are becoming increasingly popular. This is evident from research by the MBO Council. The job guarantee is a major trigger for people to go in this direction. People's perception of technology has also become more positive. Today, during Technology Week, we are therefore curious about the story of one of our technical engineers Oemar (46). How did he get into technology? And what makes work so much fun?

How did you end up in this field?

“Before that, I worked in ICT for 17 years. I was primarily an application and system administrator. It was a great time, but it could also be very stressful. After a while, I started to like it less and less and left the company. Suddenly, I was unemployed and had to look for something I did like. My then-wife and I had also just had our second son, which made the situation even more stressful. Until a Saturday morning, a technician came to install our Toon thermostat. We had a chat and she spoke enthusiastically about her work as a self-employed person. She worked for Guidion. I jokingly asked; “Do they happen to still be looking for people?” “Yes,” she said. She said that, in addition to the resume industry, Guidion also works a lot with telecom companies. This sounded like music to my ears. The same afternoon, I applied and by the following Tuesday I had already completed the entire application process. Great!”

Did you get started right away?

“No, I had some doubts at first. After all, I had never been my own boss before. In addition, of course, the training cost money and I didn't have a work bus yet. Because it was a fantastic opportunity, I bought a bus with my last money. Fortunately, Guidion advanced the course. Afterwards, I am very grateful to the technician who came to install my Toon. It was like I had won the jackpot; a fun job and suddenly I had a lot more freedom! We are now eight years later and I'm still glad I went for it.”

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I bought a bus with my last money. Afterwards, it feels like I've won the jackpot.

What makes work so much fun?

“Even as a small child, I had fun fixing things. I wanted to know how something works. I still have that now. Now, when I turn on a modem, I know exactly what's happening inside the device. In addition, I find it a very rewarding job. You can really help people and make them happy. Especially the people who depend on the internet. Then leaving people happy is also good for me. What also makes my work so much fun is the fact that I have so much freedom as a self-employed person. I can decide how much and when I work. That's really nice.”

Why would you recommend that others also go into technology?

“Technology is the future. We really can't live without it. In fact, life will only get more technical. I already regularly visit people's homes who have automated everything. From opening and closing the curtains to voice-controlled sound systems. Everything is connected to the internet. So it is almost necessary to delve into this. But besides that, it's also just so much fun!”