After obtaining my industrial engineering degree, my 38-year professional career began in 1986 at the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC). The start was a bit rough; I quickly realised that my school knowledge was far from sufficient to hold my own in the modern laboratories with state-of-the-art measurement instruments.
After the necessary self-study and the transition of the laboratories to the Linux open-source environment, I began to feel more comfortable, and my golden period began. I was given the time to develop my skills in creating measurement software.
I also got to know a large group of people when process engineers contacted me to discuss how to measure the process parameters of their new designs. Combining their process knowledge with my understanding of the specifications of the measurement instruments resulted in a library of measurement routines that were used in the laboratories, significantly speeding up and simplifying the work.
As my career came to an end, I saw more and more colleagues exploring other horizons or retiring. The vacancies were filled with a batch of newly graduated individuals, their heads full of book knowledge, thinking they had solutions for everything. They made the typical beginners' mistakes but learned quickly.
I also started looking forward to the day I would retire to enjoy the well-deserved rest and tackle a couple of projects that had been on my mind for a long time.
The reality check came quite quickly. The rigid schedule I had been accustomed to for all those years suddenly disappeared, replaced by a vast amount of free time that I struggled to fill. It became so bad that I was driving my housemates up the wall.
A bit of research taught me that a flexi job was the ideal solution. What I didn't know was that flexi jobs in my field were very scarce.
Ultimately, Drupal turned out to be my salvation. The extensive research and steep learning curve brought me back to my old, familiar environment, giving me a sense of calm.
I hope this website will be a success.