Matthijs Jansen
Graduate Intern R&D at HGG
At HGG from 27-11-2014 until 15-08-2015

‘You can walk into the contracting facility and you see a machine in action’

I study Control Engineering or Systems Engineering and I was advised by my supervisor to conduct a project at HGG. My experience at HGG has been a lot of fun. HGG expects a lot from their interns, but they give a lot in return, too. I have a lot of technical freedom. Once you convince them, my supervisors here at the company, they really grant you the freedom of chasing what you think is right. They are trying out and investing lots of time and effort to see if it works. This is not often the case with a thesis placement. That’s why my experience at HGG has been great.

What is it like to work at HGG?

HGG is a mix-up between a big company which has the funding possibilities and necessary facilities, and a start-up mentality for which everything is possible. And this is lots of fun for engineers like me. The management here puts a big amount of trust into people – they assume the best and then they work from there on. I really get the feeling that everyone is in a rush here. Everyone aims for growth in their departments and in what they do.

Is HGG helping you to further develop your potential?

It is essential that an intern is capable of being very independent here, because everyone at the company is super busy. You have to be the one who manages the contact with university basically. You cannot expect that things will magically happen. My preferred way of work is high expectations and having high levels of freedom. That’s why HGG is a perfect fit for me.

What about HGG do you like most?

I like the combination of practical application and development here at the company. You walk into the contracting facility and you see a machine in action. And this is something very unique for control engineers. Normally, when still at university, students are doing only simulations or one or two real projects. And this is quite different – you can see the real-life applications.

 

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