This is my story

Deviating career path

Dealing with change is not really one of my strong points. Change of country, change of jobs, change of career path... So just to give an idea of a handful of changes I’ve had to deal with, let me say that I am an Indian with a Master’s degree in Chemistry (with a specialization in Organic chemistry) who had hopes of working in a pharmaceutical industry, but is now working in the Netherlands as a Technical Author here at Etteplan. That’s quite a deviation, I’d say!

Becoming a technical author

All that being said, I must add that I have no regrets of where I have ended up. It’s not just the job that matters, but also your workplace, especially when all that’s around you is new to you. Fortunately for me, being a Technical Author at Etteplan has been a wonderful experience so far. It definitely came with a huge learning curve, but thanks to really helpful colleagues and senior authors and illustrators, it’s been a rather comfortable learning pace. I am amazed at how much I’ve had the chance to pick up in just the 1 and a half years that I’ve been with Etteplan – the wide range of clientele, products and machines, the different softwares, the STE style of writing, the different tasks that come with each project. Never a dull moment! It’s definitely not a monotonous job and I like that. The chance to interact with clients and see things from their perspective challenges you to be creative and meet their needs without compromising on the quality of the documents.

Support and encouragement from my colleagues

It’s also nice that you get to work as a team, in collaboration with illustrators and other authors. Their skills and expertise come in handy when you feel like you’ve reached a dead end. On a more personal level, family is extremely important to me, and so it’s important that work does not come in the way of family time. Etteplan suits me well that way. The work timings are sensible and also flexible when and where necessary. Support and encouragement have never been lacking, both from colleagues as well as superiors. Most colleagues that I’ve had the chance to work with closely have also become really good friends, looking out for me and helping me integrate more easily into the Dutch lifestyle. Overall, I’d say I’m a happy camper!

Dit is mijn verhaal

Stage tijdens mijn opleiding

“Tijdens de stage van mijn opleiding tot werktuigbouwkundige kwam ik terecht bij Etteplan. Hier maakte ik kennis met het maken van handleidingen en in het bijzonder het verschillende tekenwerk wat daarbij hoort. De stage was me zo goed bevallen dat ik na mijn stage heb gevraagd of ik kon blijven en kreeg ik mijn contract. Sindsdien heb ik veel bijgeleerd op het gebied van documentatie, illustratie, animatie en DTP. De veelzijdigheid van het werk en de diversiteit in klanten en projecten maakt dat het werken bij Etteplan al 15 jaar leuk en interessant is. Ik ben leergierig en hou van techniek en zit daarom graag op de voorste rij met betrekking tot de nieuwste ontwikkelingen.

Mijn werk als illustrator

Voor Etteplan maak ik voornamelijk illustraties in 2D en 3D voor handleidingen en instructiekaarten. Ook het maken van animaties en complete spare parts systemen vind ik interessante werkzaamheden. Daarnaast ben ik ook vaak betrokken bij de opmaak van documenten. Samen met mijn collega’s zorg ik ervoor dat onze klanten nette, heldere en duidelijke documentatie krijgen bij hun producten. Dit doen we vanuit het kantoor in Best of op locatie bij de klant. Dit alles maakt mijn baan veelzijdig en houdt het interessant. Ook de vrijheden en verantwoordelijkheden die ik krijg binnen mijn werkzaamheden vind ik erg prettig. Hoewel sommige projecten hectisch verlopen weten we ze altijd tot een goed einde te brengen. En dat geeft veel voldoening!”

"I was born in Johannesburg, South-Africa, where I also received my university degree in aircraft engineering. I moved to Finland in 2011 and to find a job to match my education didn’t seem to be that easy. A friend advised me to send an open application to Etteplan. Within one week I had a job as a Supply Manager in a customer’s delivery project in Hyvinkää. 
 
In concrete terms I’m coordinating the customer’s Engineer-to-Order projects, where the product is customized to meet the end customer’s requirements. The switch from aircraft engineering to managing complex global  industrial delivery projects was challenging, but a great proof that you can learn almost anything if you are motivated. I really like my work: it is challenging and you learn a lot about the products and engineering in general. 
 
I very much appreciate Etteplan’s flexibility and the level of trust given when it comes to responsibility at work or arranging working hours. The work life balance at Etteplan is excellent, which means a great deal to me."

“I came to Etteplan as I was interested in versatility of the work and the possibilities to work with different customers. These things further enhance my competence. It has been easy to work at Etteplan. I work currently with an assignment in customer’s premises and things towards Etteplan have gone smoothly. Information flow has functioned well.”