Xander, you completed your Engineering degree at HZ over three years ago. What are you doing these days?
“After completing my Engineering degree at HZ University of Applied Sciences, I went on to do a Master’s in Industrial Design at Eindhoven University of Technology. These days, you’ll still find me at TU/e, but this time as a lecturer. I teach on various technical programmes. The focus is on designing products using data. Think of the Internet of Things, smartwatches and all sorts of smart home devices. It’s a really fascinating field. I also work as a Technology Consultant at a consultancy firm in Utrecht.”
How did you end up on the Engineering programme back then?
“After secondary school, I initially chose ICT at HZ University of Applied Sciences. That programme turned out not to be quite right for me. I missed working on tangible products. That’s exactly what was happening just across the corridor, where the Engineering department was based. There I saw students tinkering and building things together in the workshop. Then suddenly a drone would fly through the room… That really struck a chord with me. After completing my first year, I made the switch to the other side. It was the best decision I could have made. I found my passion there and laid the foundations for everything I do now.”
What study tracks were you able to choose from during your degree?
“In my day, you could choose between the Mechatronics and Product Engineering study tracks. Nowadays, you can choose from four study tracks. I think that’s an improvement. It gives students the chance to specialise even more precisely. Your study track doesn’t determine everything for the rest of your career, but it certainly provides valuable additional skills. I chose Product Engineering in the first place because I enjoyed it. Of course, you can also make a choice purely based on your job prospects. In that case, it’s a good idea to check whether your expectations match reality. If you want to continue working in Zeeland, there are plenty of jobs in engineering, but fewer in the field of design. You’ll find more of those jobs in the Randstad. As long as your expectations are realistic, any choice is a good one.”
Was it a foregone conclusion right from the start that you would study Product Engineering?
“I went into the course with a fairly open mind. The first year lends itself well to that. It’s a broad year, where you get to know all aspects of the course. Deep down, my passion for designing and building was already there, of course. It’s no coincidence that I was drawn to that course. And as a child, I was always tinkering and pottering about. Still, that first year is very useful for discovering what energises you and what doesn’t make you as happy. For example, whilst I was less enthusiastic about control engineering, I really came alive when making things. It’s wonderful to develop your own ideas into a product, with complete freedom.”
In the third year of Engineering, students take a minor. What did you choose?
“I took a minor in Innovation Management in Odense, Denmark. Going abroad was honestly the best decision I ever made, and I would recommend it to everyone. The modules I followed in Denmark were mainly business-related: project management, stakeholder research, marketing and cultural differences. It was a really interesting addition to my study track, which focused more on design.
I still consider this experience one of the highlights of my life, mainly because of the personal growth it gave me. Living independently in another country really shapes you at that age. Especially to students who stay in their own region, I would say: take every opportunity you get to study abroad for six months.”
Which projects do you look back on most fondly?
“One project that has always stayed with me was building a small hovercraft. We designed and built it from start to finish in about two weeks. The concept may sound quite simple, but it was incredibly cool to work on.
Besides that, I worked on many other great projects. From an assignment for a company producing portable toilets to my graduation project, where I developed a maintenance tool for the nuclear power plant. You do not just get access to a nuclear power plant, so being able to look around there for my graduation research was really special.”
In what area did you develop the most during the Product Engineering track?
“I find it difficult to choose just one thing, but I think I grew enormously in problem analysis. In other words: what exactly is the problem? Who are the stakeholders? And how can you connect them? You can compare it to a kind of planning process where you map out all the requirements, wishes and possible solutions. That skill still helps me a great deal in my current job.”
How did you experience working with the lecturers?
“I have a lot of positive memories of it. It says a lot about a degree programme when almost every student has one or two favourite lecturers, people they genuinely connect with or share interests with. That is only possible in an environment where lecturers are approachable and genuinely interested in their students. At HZ, I was always able to exchange ideas with lecturers very easily. There was a real mindset within the programme that you could always walk into a lecturer’s office, even just for a chat. You may not do that every day, but knowing you can creates a very pleasant atmosphere.”
Looking back, how happy are you that you switched to Engineering?
“It is the best decision I have made in my life so far. I found myself in a programme with like-minded people who all shared the same passion for technology, design and finding smart solutions. And that is still true now that I am working. What I really liked about Engineering was the freedom to shape your own path. Some degree programmes have everything planned out for you, but with Engineering you largely decide your own direction. There is guidance, so you are never completely on your own, but at the same time you are given a lot of freedom in what you do. For me, that was the perfect balance.”
Read more about the study programme Engineering