As an 18-year-old, like so many others, I was faced with the task of deciding on my career. What would I dive into for the next 3-5 years and then build a career around for about 40 years? At the time, I had a very clear goal in mind, which was “I want to help people, preferably young people.”, but I had no idea what path I needed to follow to do so.
I was a pretty good student with seemingly diverse interests and hobbies: mathematics, geography, chemistry, physics, history, biology, languages (as long as it wasn't French), philosophy, crime series, games, reading... What fascinated me most each time was unraveling the mysteries and puzzles in each field. But which puzzle could I get hooked on enough to stay fascinated both in my studies and later in my career? “A luxury problem” my teacher called it in June. Well, as flattering as it was meant to be, it didn't help me.
July and August were filled with a summer job on the one hand and thoroughly plowing through all the information leaflets collected throughout the year on the other. First the “absolutely not” fieldsfell off: the army or the police? Physically too intense, anything with a bit of French in it was ritually burned, computers? “I'm never going to be able to do that anyway”....
Out of half a banana box filled with maybes, I finally chose Pedagogical Sciences at KULeuven. With a central focus on pedagogy, the subjects were nevertheless very varied: history, biology, statistics, psychology, philosophy... it all came up in those 5 years. And there were many electives where I could focus on young people. Ideal. After convincing my parents, we quickly enrolled me in September and looked for a dorm room so I could start the academic year on time.
Studying went with ups and downs, some subjects were more interesting or difficult than others. Including a few retakes, I passed with flying colors.. I discovered a lot about myself: I work best when I can focus on one task, both social and administrative rules are not my forté, analyzing problems and coming up with (pedagogical) solutions are.
After completing the Master's in Pedagogical Sciences, I could conclude three things:
I wanted to help people more hands-on.
Technology is a great tool when used (properly). Unfortunately, this was less the case in “my” sectors, healthcare and education.
My hunger for learning had not yet been satisfied.
The question, of course, was what to do with this information.
Along with the current batch of 18-year-olds, I visited schools again to choose my next field. Would I pursue a master's degree to specialize more? Would I switch to a field where I could assist people more personally such as speech therapy or occupational therapy?
I ended up choosing a different angle: I noticed I had neglected my interest in computers somewhat, and more sure of myself than I was 5 years ago, I decided to take on the challenge of learning to program. I ended up choosing to study MCT. The attentive reader may have already figured out that once again I chose a fairly broad direction. The first year and a half, I I had the chance to taste different aspects within computer science: from electronics and IoT to design or security. I specialized in web app development and eventually got to call myself a programmer.
Despite my school career being over, my hunger for knowledge is far from satisfied. Fortunately the entrepreneurship and vision of Goomyx offers me the opportunity to continuously enrich and update my knowledge on the work floor as well. This ranges from learning about completely new technologies to achieving a deeper understanding of known topics.
We prefer to share our knowledge within the team by having lunch & learn sessions in which we present our research and acquired knowledge to other team members. In addition, we share our knowledge with each other by maintaining a knowledge database so that we can rely on it whenever and wherever we want.
The journey from a young, searching student to a passionate IT pedagogue has taught me that the right combination of curiosity, perseverance and the will to help others is indispensable. At Goomyx, I am able to put this passion to daily use and continue to challenge and develop myself in both technology and pedagogy. By continuously sharing knowledge and collaborating with my team, we create an inspiring and learning environment. This dynamic is what drives me and motivates me to get the best out of myself and others.