Simon allowed his job to grow apace with his ambitions and family.
We know Simon as IoT engineer who got the “Heroïx” platform off the ground. But not everyone knows that Simon joined Callens as an inquisitive intern and first grew into a masterful technician. His eagerness to learn and the privileged environment at Callens, made that he could grow into a job that suits his ambitions and family life.
An exciting start with golden masters
When Simon joined Callens as an intern in 2011, he was sure about one thing: he wanted to specialise in heating. An atypical choice for anyone who qualified in Air Conditioning, but one that was especially fuelled by his interest in burners.
With Carl and Ivan, seasoned members of the Callens crew and golden masters by his side, he got the opportunity to get a hands-on flavour of what it was like to work as a technician. He even created a demo boiler in the workshop.
“Constructing the demo boiler was a highly educational experience. What’s even cooler is that it is still being used to introduce youngsters and anyone interested to our branch of technology. It even gets to do the rounds of job fairs!” says Simon proudly.
Sticking around
Like many of his colleagues, Simon was only too delighted to stick around after his work placement. Come the end of 2011, he was officially allowed to call himself “service engineer” and worked on countless systems.
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Time for a new direction in his career
“Initially, I loved nothing better than being on the road all the time”, Simon recalls. “You get to see all sorts of things, get to work at different plants and are continuously learning. But as his family began to grow, that freedom became a bit of a problem: “I never quite knew when I would be home and oftentimes I was also away at the weekend. That became harder to combine.”
Aside from the practical concerns, Simon was longing to explore new horizons. A meeting with his manager, Carl, and HR got things moving. “It was time for a change,” says Simon. And that change wasn’t long coming: he started in a new role as IoT engineer.
Even though he had already been programming on site, he now also received targeted training at suppliers and he immersed himself in cyber security.
“There is space to grow at Callens. If something is bubbling and you are in need of change, you will always find a listening ear. We examined quite a few possibilities together and look where I am now,” says Simon.
Working together, sweating together, together towards the “Eureka” moment
Simon’s happiest memories? They would be about collaboration and perseverance. “Technicians can really count on one another,” he says. Like that night he spent hours on the phone to Frank to resolve a persistent problem at a client. “The malfunctions were terribly complex but we kept searching until we got everything sorted. The client even brought us sandwiches.”
Also the atmosphere among colleagues is great. Whether you’re talking hilarious stories like coming home reeking after an intervention at a protein-powder plant or about the hard graft getting a project at an industrial bakery up and running during the festive season. “We were working with a strong team. We worked long hours but the work had to get done. So we got it done. Together.”
