During my studies in Business Engineering at Ghent University, my interest in data engineering was really triggered through the numerous hands-on assignments we received. Data often needed to be preprocessed there, but most of the attention went to the seemingly more attractive machine learning part. However, transforming data from a raw state to a clean and usable state intrigued me the most, causing me to even pick up other more detailed courses next to what was already in the master's program.

 In the last semester of my studies at Ghent University, I already started listing several companies that were active in the field of data engineering, as that would be where I could delve deeper into my interests. As element61 was one of the companies on this list, it was a no-brainer to join one of the career dinners they organized in March 2023. The amicable atmosphere and the respectful interactions I had with its employees at this dinner already gave me a good impression of their shared values and the working culture at element61.

 The recruitment process, following the dinner, went smoothly, and I was already introduced to some soon-to-be colleagues working in different teams. The first weeks at element61 were packed with interesting training to get a hang of the practical side of data engineering and the best practices. Between these training days also a team weekend was organized in Düsseldorf… This was the perfect setting to get to know my new colleagues better in an informal way!

 At my first customer, I got the opportunity to set up the data models and reporting for two business domains and assist on yet another. At first, this seemed a bit overwhelming, but thanks to the good coaching of my supportive colleagues, I could quickly get the hang of it. While nearing the end of the project at this customer, I am already starting up on another one where new challenges and learning experiences await me.

 In short, if you are looking for a working environment where expertise and collegiality are important and where you can learn from the best in a hands-on way, element61 might be the company you are looking for!