Robert in the Spotlight

Going back to where I once started

“I have been working at Erasmus University since 1996, so I have been around for quite some time now. I started in the L-building IT department (L-building Information provision and Automation, known as LIA). After the university centralised the individual ICT departments, I became a Business Intelligence Developer at the Shared Service Center ICT.

After several years, there was a vacancy at Erasmus School of Law's Education Office. I already knew the people here, particularly the Education Office, due to my previous job at LIA. Thus, I returned to the building where I started.”

The numbers tell the tale

“I work as an information specialist with the task of making our education measurable and more insightful. In principle, I can answer any questions about education from other users if they cannot retrieve the needed information out of the system themselves. A large part of my work consists of retrieving information from various information systems, particularly OSIRIS. There we can find data about the registration and study progress of our students.

My searches vary tremendously. I can calculate the study results of larger groups, but I can also make detailed reports of exams. For example, if some groups score worse than others. Additionally, I make a booklet once a year with educational information, such as the number of students, registrations and awarded diplomas.”

Communication gap

“My biggest challenge is to familiarise people with OSIRIS. I am a trained technician but work with people who are far from a “techy”. That can cause a communication gap. Something might make sense to me but is incomprehensible for people who have more difficulty with the digital world.

I am the 'key user’ of OSIRIS. It means that I am the "primary helpdesk" for the system and help set it up and research various usage options. On occasion, I miss a second "key user". Someone with interest in ICT and processes, but who is not a trained technician and speaks the user's language more easily. That way, we could bridge the communication gap.”

Broad development

“I learned the most from my time at LIA. There, I dealt with more aspects of IT than I could ever have imagined. Naturally, I like to focus on things that I am already good at. However, developing skills that I have more difficulty with is also important. One example is programming, which has proved very valuable in my career. Programming can be very frustrating as you can easily spend hours blindly staring at a problem. However, once you have conquered the problem, it is very satisfying.

At LIA, I was able to develop a wide variety of skills and I always try to first solve problems myself. That way you learn more than by immediately asking for help at the first hurdle.”

Inspiring colleagues

“I had many inspiring colleagues at LIA, including my department head Rob Kampman. He challenged me to learn new things and always focused on talent development. He had an eye for people who could do more than what they already did and allowed them to grow. Off course, we did not always see eye to eye, and he would often say: "if we always agree, we are doing something wrong".

Another colleague worked from home for a few weeks, during which he invented SIN-Online, the system which has been used by the university for twenty years now. I had many colleagues who were very good in their jobs, and I learned a lot from them.”

The lonesome expert

“I am most proud of my in-depth knowledge of OSIRIS. It is a fairly complicated database, and I have been working with it for twenty years. Therefore, I am not only consulted by direct colleagues, but also by colleagues from outside Erasmus School of Law.

It is also a big responsibility to be the system's expert. Rob Kampman always said that there should never be only one person who knows something and that you should always have a backup; "If the expert gets hit by a tram, someone must be able to take over". It is nice to know a lot about something, but it would be good if more people on campus and within Erasmus School of Law have that same knowledge.”

The future curator of a Rolling Stones Museum

I have had many different jobs and tasks since working at Erasmus University. A lot can happen in the next ten years: I could get a similar position, return to the university's main level or perhaps do something completely different.

I do expect to continue to work on campus; I feel at home here. Honestly, I do not think I will do something completely disconnected from information technology. If that is the case, I would like to turn a hobby into a career, such as being the curator of a Rolling Stones museum.