Meet IT Consultant Maurice
“Put me in the eye of the storm. That’s where I’m happiest.”
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Maurice started at Grexx in 2015, bringing with him a wealth of experience. He also stands out as the only employee who knows how to operate a pump-truck, make burgers and set up a warehouse. He’s also successful at calming down irate twitter users.
"When I left HAVO in 2012, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I studied journalism in Tilburg for a year, but soon realised that it wasn't for me. After that, I had all kinds of different jobs for a few years, including working in a hotel kitchen, IKEA warehouse, and at a transport company. I worked for a year in NS customer service and web care and in the back office of NS International.
I also volunteered for years at a local radio station and that's where I met Bart, our CTO, at Grexx. He was already working at Grexx by then, and in 2015 he asked me if I was interested in a job as a system administrator. I hadn't worked in IT before but had always found it interesting. My job at Grexx was divided between system administration and our service desk. I had no experience but was eager to make something of it. At the same time, I started studying business computer science. I have since switched to 'regular' computer science and find the choice of IT suits me well."
Above all, customer friendly.
"The first 2-3 years I found my job quite difficult. It took me a lot of energy to get up to speed. I was not a natural, but Bart sometimes said that I won in customer friendliness. I really value that too.
While working for NS, I learned that it is important to give people a perspective on action. That means not only listening to a complaint or problem but also understanding it and showing what is possible. Sometimes there are other options to still achieve what you want, but if we can at least solve part of the problem, that often offers a customer immediate relief. Even if you can't remove the problem immediately."
Bart agrees: "Maurice is known for his super-personal and customer-oriented approach. He is a good listener; he talks easily and always wants to know everything. Maybe that is also why he is always the first to know about new "news" in the office - after all, he did a year of journalism..."
In the eye of the storm.
For almost five years, Maurice worked in system administration and support. But in 2020, he started a new position as a technical consultant, a role which still offers contact with customers while also being operationally busy, developing applications with and for customers. Maurice is at his best when there is a lot going on at once: "I am happy when I am in the eye of the storm: I want to manage crises, act fast, solve things. Let me run around with a fire extinguisher. I'm good at it."
Maurice is completing his education, and he is also doing his thesis research at Grexx: "I can't say anything yet, it’s top secret! I'm not saying anything!"
All systems on green.
Maurice's eye for operations is clear when he talks about his daily work: "I usually check to see if the systems are green before breakfast. I'm always up early and I like to know that everything is running smoothly. If there is something to fix then, I can pick it up right away."
By now, Maurice knows the Grexx environment like the back of his hand. "Over the past eight years, we've built an enormous amount on the Grexx Platform. It's cool to notice that I know exactly where certain choices come from, why things work the way they do. It's great to experience that growth, also in terms of team growth. There are now 10 of us on DevOps. I mainly work together with Sinan (support engineer), Arend (system engineer) and Bart (CTO). I work four days a week, 2-3 of which are in the office. Tuesdays are our regular DevOps office day. And on Thursdays, practically the whole team is there. It’s cozy."
Private life.
Maurice (30) lives in Nieuwegein and in his free time he likes to exercise. He enjoys strength training and fitness at the gym. He has also been practicing yoga and doing body balance, a mixture of Thai chi, yoga, and Pilates, for a year now.
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