‘Our students are going to be alright’
Arnold de Jager still feels close to the current generation of students, but he is also an experienced businessman and entrepreneur. In other words, he is the ideal alumnus to participate in the mentor programme of the faculty of Aerospace Engineering (AE). “I would have liked to have had a mentor myself when I was studying,” he says.
Arnold de Jager knows exactly what he wants. Okay, most of the time; he actually chose the wrong career when he first started studying. “I was always interested in airplanes and thought I wanted to be a pilot. But after I joined the Air Force, I found out that I was more interested in discovering how an airplane worked than flying it.” So De Jager switched to Aerospace Engineering. “That was the perfect choice; I was totally in my element.” Being a “systems thinker”, he specialised in Systems Engineering & Aircraft Design, but graduated at a foundation that focussed on improving flight safety in Africa. “That didn’t fit with my specialisation, but the average AE student seldom ends up working in the field he graduated in.”
Formula Student
This applies to De Jager too. He found the inspiration for what he is doing now when he participated in Delft Formula Student, a team of students that designs and builds mini-race cars and races them in a worldwide competition. “That year at Formula Student was really valuable for my development as an engineer. It provides you with an opportunity to put what you have learned into practice. You also learn how to work more efficiently, because the problems you are confronted with have to be solved within a certain deadline. We built parts made of carbon composites. I had learned about the technology, but you really can’t form a proper picture based on the photos in a reader. When you actually work with the material, it’s a very simple and logical process, but you don’t realise that until you’ve held it in your own hands. I need to do this more often, I thought.”
Bluebuild
And so he did. Last year, he and Ivar te Kloeze (whom he knew from Formula Student) founded the company Bluebuild, which helps startups and other companies in the product development phase by building prototypes or mock-ups. “One of the bottlenecks is often the milling. This
is a very diverse process.”
For example, Bluebuild built soil analysis instruments for TU Delft’s Geosciences department, but its customers also include various companies throughout the region, including YesDelft startups. “Startups often lack the engineering capacity for a development process nor do they require that capacity permanently. That’s where we come in. The customer always gets a tangible product from us,” says De Jager. “Holding something in your hands that you’ve made yourself feels good for us too.”
Photo: Guus Schoonewille
Short turnaround times
This careful decision-making process is typical of De Jager. “At every stage in my life, I have always looked back and considered why I did the things I did and what I learned from them. In fact, he knew exactly what he wanted to do after graduation. “In the aviation sector, product development can take decades and you may never get to see the final result of your work. I wanted to achieve tangible results, and not have to wait too long to see them. And I also didn’t see myself working for a really big company.” De Jager went to Temporary Works Design (TWD), an engineering firm specialised in auxiliary equipment and installation tools for the offshore and civil engineering markets. “At TWD, I worked on offshore wind farm projects with turnaround times of three to six months, so that you got to see your own design in real life. I had four great years there.”
A small investment of time
He also came into contact with AE’s mentor programme through TWD. “I supervised an AE trainee at TWD. After her work placement she became a student teaching assistant with the mentor programme and then she approached me,” says De Jager. Since then, he has mentored students for every edition of the programme. “For a number of months, you regularly get together with the student to discuss their progress. These are generally always the familiar questions; the same questions I had when I was studying. I have since found the answers to some of these questions, while I have gained more insight into others. It’s great that I can do so much for a student with just a small investment of time. I wish I had had a mentor in my student days!” It’s a role that suits him well. “I’m a contemplative type and I am interested in why people do things and what moves them.”
From existential to practical
The questions the students struggle with turn out to be very broad ranging. “They vary from existential questions like “What am I studying for?” and “What do I want from life?”, to very practical questions like “What are my chances on the job market?” and “How can I find my dream job?” So it’s a completely different conversation each time,” says De Jager.
Excellent prospects
Not that students have much reason to feel insecure. “They are students of TU Delft and belong to the upper segment of society. If they can’t make it, nobody can! Still, students don’t always seem to realise that they’re already on the right track,” says De Jager. “I always reassure them: you’re going to be alright. You’re getting a good education and soon there will be a whole lot of people looking for someone with your skills. You have excellent prospects.” The high study workload may play a role in the students’ insecurity. “The popularity of the mentor programme does indicate that many students need some extra support. There are even cases of students with burn-out symptoms, so the pressure is clearly intense.”
Motivation
His motivation to participate in the mentor programme is mainly the students themselves. “It does not take up much of my time and the students really benefit from it. Even if that investment doesn’t directly benefit me, it is a small contribution towards a better world. I do not feel I owe TU Delft anything, but I had a good time there and the University is a positive force in the world. The fact that they have gone to the trouble of establishing such a mentor programme is also motivating. TU Delft is clearly committed to its students, which reinforces my desire to give something back.”
Are you inspired by this story? And do you also want to explore the possibilities for permanent involvement at TU Delft? Then we would like to get in touch with you. Send an email to: alumnirelations@tudelft.nl.