HOW AMBITIOUS STARTERS DEVELOP INTO MENDIX DEVELOPERS Experiences with the Mendix traineeship

The Mendix traineeship offers ambitious starters on the labour market the opportunity to develop into young professionals with substantial experience as a Mendix Developer within one year. Under Bob van Heijster’s (Mendix Squad Lead at LINKIT) leadership, the trainees follow an intensive training program in a professional, accessible and innovative environment to improve their technical skills.

The last group recently started the traineeship, the first eight weeks of which consisted of an intensive boot camp. In this article, we let Karsten Smits (27), Marloes van der Haagen (25), Remco ter Horst (28), Suleyman Rabbani (31) and Toon ter Horst (26) speak.

What is your background?

Karsten: “I worked as a Service Assurance Specialist at FedEx Benelux. I focused on improving business processes and dashboard development to monitor these improvements and set KPIs. I talked with Bob, and his enthusiasm about low-code interested me in the traineeship.” Marloes: “After completing my studies in Information Science (bachelor) and Human-Computer Interaction (master), I came into contact with LINKIT. How Shadeé (Braun, ed.) LINKIT, in combination with the potential of Mendix, made me choose the traineeship.” Remco: “As Functional Manager at the Flevoziekenhuis, I was responsible for managing and maintaining the SAP system. Still, I wanted to develop myself further. After my conversations, those possibilities turned out to be there at LINKIT.” Suleyman: “Actually, I’m the odd one out. I have a background as a Biology teacher at Utrecht University. LINKIT convinced me to take the step to IT, and I can only conclude that it has been a great step.” Toon: “With a Master’s degree in Behavioral Biology, a step into IT seems a long way off. During my search for an IT traineeship, I came across LINKIT. I have heard and read a lot about the traineeship, and now, six months later, I am one of the participants.”

What surprised you the most? Remco: “The set-up, content and intensity were exactly as expected. Yet the experience is still very challenging and satisfying.” Suleyman: “What surprised me the most was how much I learned quickly. Think, for example, of CSS, HTML, Java(script) and Mendix-related topics.” Toon: “Despite my little IT background, I was amazed at how quickly I could develop a basic application in Mendix after a week. It clarified that you can quickly learn to program without an IT background.”

What is your role within LINKIT now?

Karsten: “As a Mendix Developer at LINKIT, I am working on an insurance company assignment. Besides developing, I also focus on the UI/UX side of the application.” Marloes: “I am in the final phase of a project for a retail company, after which I will immediately continue with a new project. In the meantime, I am expanding my knowledge with courses in JAVA and Javascript: something that LINKIT encourages employees to do.” Remco: “I, too, am working on a Mendix assignment at a retail company. It feels good to put all the skills I’ve learned into practice.” Suleyman: “I am involved in Mendix Squad projects, such as the LINKIT knowledge app. This app aims to understand better the Mendix platform, where users are brought together to share knowledge.” Toon: “I recently completed my first project with a customer. I now give Mendix training to employees of a retail company, and I can apply my didactic skills well.”

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What advice do you have for future Mendix trainees at LINKIT?

Karsten: “Read and practice with Mendix Learning Paths before you start the boot camp. This way, you become familiar with it and get to know your way around the platform. In addition, don’t be afraid to ask questions so that you understand.” Marloes: “Above all, enjoy yourself and get the most out of it, even if you receive a lot of information. Time flies, but it is a great experience that you can immediately put into practice.” Remco: “Stay focused and proactive. Hands-on learning is the most effective way to understand and learn to develop with Mendix. The more effort you put in, the more you get out.” Suleyman: “Try to maintain the work pace that you maintain during the boot camp in the period afterwards. It will increase your learning curve. And dare to ask questions to experienced colleagues.” Toon: “Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone has their qualities, and over time (and a lot of practice), you will notice that the knowledge gap is getting smaller. Everyone is ready to help you, but you must dare ask for it.”

Are you ambitious and driven, and do you want to keep developing yourself? Then our traineeships are for you. Let’s explore more! Contact us, and we will answer all your questions and tell you about our different training programs.