The VU now has more than 100,000 alumni. Where did they end up after their studies? In this section, we feature three alumni from the same degree programme. This time: Mathematics alumni
‘I started my teaching internship a few months ago’
Why did you choose mathematics? ‘In Mathematics, you can be sure whether something is right or not. I like puzzles and making things right. I also took a few physics courses during my studies, but they were too vague for me.’
Were any of the professors particularly memorable? ‘Professor Grosheide, the linear algebra lecturer. He started off each lecture with a prayer. I can still see him folding his enormous hands and asking for a moment of silence. As far as I know, he’s the only lecturer who did that. It might be a remnant of the VU’s Christian past – he had already reached quite an advanced age.’
What did you start doing after you graduated? ‘I’ve spent the past 36 years working in IT. I worked for Volmac, a software company, for 16 years, and then spent 20 years at ABN Amro. I enjoyed working in IT: software programs have to be made right as well. Lately, however, I wasn’t learning as much anymore, And the scope of my role had shifted more towards leadership. That’s why I quit, not that long ago.’
What are you doing now? ‘I started an internship to become a mathematics teacher a few months ago. I had obtained my PGCE in the final year of my studies, as well as completing an internship. Officially speaking, this lets me work as a teacher, but because it’s been a long time and because so much has changed, I wanted to update my knowledge first.’
Why did you not go straight into education? ‘Back then, I still felt too young and inexperienced. My work experience has improved my confidence. The situation now is clearly different: I’m more relaxed and more alert to what’s happening in the classroom.’
‘I even went to an open day for aeronautical engineering’
What did you want to be when you were young? ‘As a child, I wanted nothing more than to build roller coasters or airplanes. I even went to an open day for aeronautical engineering, but I didn’t feel at home at all. That’s why I chose mathematics. It was my favourite subject in secondary school, and I was pretty good at it. I also wanted to study in Amsterdam.’
What are you doing now? ‘I’m a statistical researcher for the City of Amsterdam. We conduct policy-oriented research, usually commissioned by the City. We analyse data, including data from the Dutch BRP register, which keeps a record of everyone who moves to, from, and within Amsterdam. I design the models that we use to analyse those data. We track trends and developments, which let us make forecasts for the future.’
What sort of trends can you identify? ‘We are seeing that Haarlem and Amstelveen are becoming increasingly popular among young families leaving Amsterdam. A lot of recent graduates, on the other hand, are moving to Amsterdam, because there are more jobs there than in other university cities.’
What was your student life like? ‘I come from Egmond, a village, and I loved living in Amsterdam. I loved the urban environment: the variety, culture, and liveliness.
What did you think of the atmosphere among your fellow students? ‘It was good, but I didn’t have a very big year – there were only 10 of us after the first year – and I didn’t have a click with everyone. Some of my fellow students still lived with their parents and did not like going out. I mainly went out with friends I knew from high school, and friends I’d met in a Business Mathematics and Computer Science course.’
‘We got to see the entire organisation from the inside out’
What is your favourite memory from your time as a student? ‘Meeting my wife. She was a first-year, and I was a third-year student and one of the organisers of freshers’ weekend. She struck me the very first time I saw her. Now there’s a BMCS baby on the way.’
What was it like to be in the same degree programme? ‘I could pass all my textbooks on to her, which was pretty useful. It also meant I could help her with her coursework. We spent a lot of time together, because we also both lived at Uilenstede. We more or less lived together in my room – 12 square meters – using her room as a place to study.
What was the most interesting course? ‘The final Bachelor’s project. With a team of eight, we carried out a research project for a large supermarket. We calculated the optimum amount of shelf space needed to have enough stock whilst minimising wastage. In doing so, we looked at the products’ shelf life and sales figures. During the project, we worked in the supermarket’s head office. ‘We got to see the entire organisation from the inside out’ That was my first encounter with consultancy. The combination of content, teamwork, and sales appealed to me immediately.
What are you doing now? ‘I’m a consultant at Deloitte, where I manage a team in the Risk Advisory department. Our team mainly works on data analysis for financial clients, such as large banks. We give them advice on how they can do more with their data, such as financial transaction records. We focus specifically on risks: negative risks and opportunities. We investigate how they can improve their services, for instance, or how they can detect fraud at an earlier stage. We also test the reliability of their internal and external data reports.’
