THEME SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
A PRESSURE COOKER FOR SOFTWARE TALENT Still eager to learn, even after an extended bachelor and two masters, Tom Vrancken signed up for the PDEng Software Technology program. In two years of different projects with different companies, he’s gaining the experience that otherwise would have taken him 10-15 years to get in industry. Nieke Roos
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Credit: Rien Meulman
“A
s a university graduate in computer science, you usually start your professional career as a junior developer. Only after at least 5-10 years of experience, you get to be a software architect. You need to grow into that role, really get to know the company and its products. Win your spurs, so to speak,” explains 31-year-old Tom Vrancken. “But as I like to solve technical challenges on a higher level, I wanted to start as an architect. The PDEng Software Technology program offers that opportunity.” The PDEng Software Technology (ST) is a two-year salaried post-master technological designer program on a doctorate level for top MSc graduates with a degree in computer science or a related field. It prepares the trainees for a career in industry by strengthening their theoretical basis and confronting them with challenging problems from industrial partners. With a variety of clients offering complex system/software architecture and design-related challenges, you learn to develop innovative solutions meeting industry standards while mastering all the aspects of teamwork, different roles and professional skills. Already at the start of the program, Tom got what he wished for: the software architect role, in a project at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. “We developed a database system and the associated API to store data for a new experiment slated for 2026, called the Search for Hidden Particles. We built on a feasibility study made by the 2018 group of PDEng ST
trainees, turning their concept into production-ready software. As the architect, I was responsible for creating the specifications and making sure the team adhered to them.” Technically, it wasn’t very difficult; for Tom, the big challenge was getting everybody on the same page – both the team and the customer. “I thought I’d described it all very clearly. Yet, I got solutions from the team that were not at all what we’d agreed upon. It was also very interesting to deal with the client having a completely different view. I’ve learned that there’s more to being a software architect than just solving a technical puzzle – you’re working with people from different backgrounds, so communication is key.”
Cybersecurity
Having tinkered with computers in high school, computer science was the logical choice for Tom, and Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE) in his hometown the logical place of study. He enrolled in 2006 at the age of 17. Six years later, he obtained his bachelor’s degree. “It took me longer than average,” he admits, smiling. “But that’s because I combined studying with kayaking for the Dutch national team. Each year, the university allowed me to move one or two subjects to the next year, to free up 20-30 hours a week for me to train and race.” While studying for his bachelor’s, Tom also did an extra minor and even got a jump on a master’s degree. “My first minor was part of the regular curriculum. I chose mechanical engineering because I’m also interested in machine control and robotics – an interest that was spoon-fed to me by my father, who studied mechanical engineering here in Eindhoven. For my second minor, I followed a couple of more in-depth computer science classes. At the end of my bachelor’s, I had six months to spare, which I decided to fill by starting the educational master. I really like to educate people – I used to be a student assistant and a member of TUE’s student PR team, and I’m a certified kayak and snowboard instructor.” In 2012, Tom continued his computer science education with a technical master in information security technology. “This was a special cybersecurity program organized by TUE, together with the Radboud Univer-
