When I studied Econometrics, I enjoyed solving Operations Research problems. That is why I was thrilled to start as an Analytics Consultant at ORTEC after I graduated (early 2017). I soon discovered that ORTEC is not only good at solving OR problems, but is active on a much broader level in the field of Data Science.
ORTEC Consulting offers tailor-made solutions for its customers. These customers are active in many different industries. I started as a trainee. This means that I work for different teams, and thus gain knowledge of different industries and learn to work with different tools and techniques. In this way, I do not only learn a lot in a short time, but I also get to find out what part of the business I like most.
So, what does a typical work day look like for me? Well, that varies from day to day! Part of my time I focus on maintaining and improving an optimization tool. The nice thing about this, is that I deal with many different things. I add new functionalities to the optimization tool, which means that I have to think out of the box while programming these functionalities. At other times, I am talking to users of the tool, for example because they need support or to discuss how we can further improve the tool. At this moment, I am working on improving the user interface of the tool – again something completely different! A few of the other things that I have done in recent times are building a simulation model, visualizing data and making predictions using machine learning algorithms.
Besides the work I do for customers, I also like to do something for ORTEC itself. That is why I joined the Young ORTEC board. Young ORTEC provides a platform for young professionals. We organize activities and workshops, with the aim to broaden the network, gain knowledge or develop talents.
In addition to being given the opportunity to do challenging work at ORTEC and to develop myself, the pleasant and informal atmosphere is also very important to me. I can work together with people who enjoy solving puzzles as much as I do, and typical for ORTEC is that everyone is willing to help each other. When I tell my friends about working at ORTEC, they are often surprised at how many fun things we do together. For example, we regularly have a dinner with all trainees, I participate in the team activities of the team for which I work, and the Social Events Team organizes many fun activities. On Friday afternoon you can regularly find me in the ORTAP: the bar on the eighth floor at the office in Zoetermeer. You spend a lot of time at work, so it is very important that you enjoy yourself!