'Don’t lose the playfulness'

Vincent Vermeire (17) is a first-year ICT student in Eindhoven. He has to think long and hard about his main concern: maybe the housing market for first-time buyers? But he rather tries to keep the fun in everything he does. For as long as possible.

“If I have any concerns, they are literally for later. At the moment I still live with my parents in Waalre, super close. I travel to Fontys by bike, or by bus and skateboard. Right now, there is no need to spend too much money on a student room in Eindhoven.

The prospects in the ICT workfield are good. I don’t know exactly what I want to do after my studies. Maybe get a master’s degree… The developments in my field of work are moving at lightning speed. At the moment I am very much involved in software engineering, mainly for app development. 

I do believe that I will end up working in an existing company, rather than starting my own. For me, it is much more fun to further develop existing products than to build something from scratch. I also like working in a team and learn from more experienced colleagues, another reason not to start for myself.

My learning route is demand-based learning. You are working towards a fixed end goal within a semester, while you can determine for yourself what your weaknesses are and where you need some extra guidance. You then complete such a program with a project, and not with an exam. 

This approach suits me. It offers me freedom. For the time being, I want to enjoy what I am doing. Maybe that has to do with my age. I’m still quite young, don’t you think?” [Frank van den Nieuwenhuijzen]