Mike was in the last year of his Business Information Systems studies and looking for a challenging graduate assignment. But more than anything, he wanted to move into software development. He was at an internship job fair when he met the person who would become his internship supervisor/employer at Enexis. “There was an immediate click. The next day, I was invited to an interview to discuss the options. This was a unique opportunity. In addition to my graduate internship at Enexis, I could follow a software engineer traineeship.”

Building on the future

Mike’s assignment in the IT development programme was to build a small-scale geoinformation system with older tools. That's how he learned what code does in a system. “With the help of more senior staff, I then learned about other tools like Python, Docker and Amazon Web Services. After nine months, I was able to really contribute to the building of products.” It’s been three years since then, so what is he doing now? “I’m working with my colleagues from the NeVo team. NeVo is based on the Dutch word for grid forecasts – netvoorspellingen. We’re developing a tool that makes predictions about the power grid. It’s an innovative product that calculates scenarios, such as where overload may occur in the future, based on sensor data, among other things. The tool is used within Enexis to justify the investment plans.” 

''DURING MY INTERNSHIP, I HAD THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO RETRAIN AS A SOFTWARE ENGINEER. HOW COOL IS THAT?!''

MIKE - SOFTWARE ENGINEER

 

Delving into the energy transition

It's no wonder that Mike is proud of his work. “I'm super excited about contributing to something so essential. Do you know what’s funny? When I got into a conversation with my internship supervisor years ago, I barely knew what Enexis did. I had a vague idea that it was something to do with electricity.” He laughs about it now. “It’s so cool to see first-hand how we're making the transition to a dynamic power network. And what challenges are involved. They encourage you to delve into it. For example, I took part in a three-day hackathon with students and grid operators. We brainstormed about what the network of the future will look like. One opted for a layered system, while someone else thought that energy will be free. All these different insights help you think creatively in your work.” 

Ambitions

What about his personal development? Is Mike still thinking about that? “Sure! And if you take the initiative yourself, you get plenty of opportunities here. I’m now responsible for the cloud infrastructure within the NeVo team. The power grid forecasting tool runs in a complex cloud infrastructure with many components. It's up to me to ensure that the new applications we develop are in line with the infrastructure. They have to comply with laws and regulations. And the tool must be easily scalable. When I was appointed, I consciously asked about my career opportunities at Enexis since I intended to study for a master's degree in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. I've now started on that in addition to my work, and it’s paid for by Enexis.” 

I'M HELPING TO BUILD A TOOL THAT MAKES PREDICTIONS ABOUT THE POWER GRID. ENEXIS USES THESE SCENARIOS WHEN MAKING INVESTMENT PLANS. IT'S SO COOL THAT I'M CONTRIBUTING TO SOMETHING SO ESSENTIAL

MIKE - SOFTWARE ENNGIEER

 

Want to know more?

If you’d like to know more about the world of IT within Enexis, why not read the stories of some of our other colleagues? Do you have any questions about the role of a Software Engineer? Mike will be happy to chat with you about it during a digital coffee session. If you’re curious about the various possibilities within Enexis, click here.