After studying history and later information science, Eelse Pieters (1979) went into secondment. After a number of clients, Schiphol came into the picture. A secondment of no less than 3.5 years followed. "Then, a while after I left, the question came up whether I wanted to come back. I didn't have to think about it for long. I happily picked up my work as a software developer again."

"I am working on a crucial system that is a key link in the processes at the airport"

"I have a good connection with the people in the team. There's time for humour, communication is open, and you have a lot of room to make use of your talents. As a software developer I work mainly on the central information system. A crucial system containing information about flights, aircraft and baggage assignment. It's an important link in how the tower directs aircraft and how the processes at the airport run."

Responsibility

"You don't get into this department just like that. You really need to know what you are doing because before you know it, half of the system at Schiphol is down. That's a big responsibility, but I don't see that as a burden. If you follow the procedures and consider the consequences of your actions, there's nothing to worry about. You do need to have experience for this position. Even then, it takes time for new colleagues to get the hang of things. But that's also the charm of this department. What we do here really matters."

Freedom

"You are continuously learning in this position. You really have to stay up to date. We work a lot with Java and are given the freedom to use that in all its facets. There's room for both technical and functional improvement. That means that we developers get the freedom to see if new ideas have a chance of succeeding. As long as you remain focused on your main task, there's enough opportunity to experiment. That's always fun to do."

Varied work

"There's a lot of variety in my working week. On the 2 days that I go to the office, I talk things over with colleagues. How can we best tackle the issues at hand? When working from home, I am fully focused on my tasks. We use the scrum method, so everyone has insight into what others are doing. We work in sprints of 2 weeks. We are always reflecting on how things could be improved, looking at what we're going to do next and checking what's in the pipeline."

"I feel proud that I can work with my colleagues on such an important component for Schiphol as a whole."

Pride

"At Schiphol you get the space to work on tasks that suit you. I don't only have great colleagues and an easily accessible workplace. I am also challenged here in a way that I don't find just anywhere. Schiphol gets that ICT and automation are of great importance. These things are not overlooked, and it shows in practice. I feel proud that I can work with my colleagues every day on such an important component for Schiphol as a whole.

Future

"In recent years, we have streamlined and improved processes, and it is paying off. We deliver good, solid and stable work. A great team effort which we also celebrate at specific milestones. As far as I'm concerned, my future lies here at Schiphol. Perhaps I will look into whether a more managerial position would suit me in the future. But for now, I am enjoying the technical challenge in this international environment."