Other girls get given dolls. You get given LEGO. As a child, you enjoyed taking things apart, only to wonder afterwards: ‘How do I put this back together again?’ You’re an engineer, in other words. Hilde has always had a knack for it, so it won’t come as a surprise that she’s now working at VIRO. ‘I studied Maritime Engineering in Delft. Or shipbuilding, as everyone calls it in the real world. That was followed by a master’s degree in the same field: Marine Technology.’
Hilde graduated in November 2020: right in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. It was a tricky time to go out and find a job, as companies were unsure what the future would bring, and were taking a cautious approach to hiring people. Hilde started looking for a job at an engineering firm. She was invited for an interview at VIRO in Vlaardingen, but there was no job for her there at the time. Another firm could do with an extra hand: ‘I worked there for a year, doing calculations relating to plastic parts in smaller products. It was fun for a while, but after a year, I was ready for my next move.’
A second interview at VIRO was followed by the news Hilde was hoping for: she got hired. At VIRO, she was looking forward to more variety in her role than she got in the fairly monotonous world of plastic that her previous employer was active in. And she got exactly what she wished for: ‘So far, I’ve been working on storage tanks, on an industrial vacuum chamber, and I’ve carried out thermal analyses. I really enjoy working on a range of things as varied as that. But what I enjoy even more than that, is that I’m given the opportunity to explore things in depth, and deliver the best possible solution in the end. After all, a “quick and dirty” approach might work some of the time, but it’s always better to look at things from every possible angle. That’s exactly what I love doing the most, as it’s much more fulfilling in the end.’
Hilde recounts an example: ‘I worked on a structure that was subject to vacuum pressure. The walls were being compressed inwards, but I had to make sure they could never bend more than a few micrometres. On another project, I dealt with a tank measuring 30 metres across. Much bigger, in other words, and what’s worse: it had already been dented. The question was: is it even possible to put this thing back into use? Two different projects, two different orders of magnitude. I really enjoy figuring out how best to approach the problem in each of these challenges.’
Hilde genuinely values her colleagues. They are always prepared to help, but they never simply take the problem off her hands. ‘The basic principle is that you learn the most by doing things yourself. Sometimes, my colleagues help me by showing me how to look at something from a different perspective. For example, they might explain the best way to simulate a situation. Vacuum pressure can be simulated by squeezing something, pushing down on something, or pulling on something. In some cases, one of these methods might work better than the others, but the net result always remains the same. Another one of my colleagues shared the following piece of wisdom with me: ‘it’s OK to break things to help you make things’. In other words: don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
At university, the mindset is that it’s best to avoid errors at all costs. Here at VIRO, I’ve learnt to see things differently: if something goes wrong, we’ll figure out how to deal with it. Of course, I want to make sure I get my simulation model right in the end. But whenever I’m not sure if something is going to work, I simply try and see what happens. At those critical moments when things aren’t working out, I can always ask for help.’
Hilde has successfully completed her master’s degree in Marine Technology. With that in mind, is she working on something to do with shipbuilding at VIRO? ‘No, and that’s fine by me. In shipbuilding, you’ve got a few different options. Those include building yachts, research, or working for big companies, such as Damen or Allseas. I respect everyone’s choice — everyone is free to do as they wish — but I really struggle to get behind things such as deep sea mining. I want to make the world a better place instead.’
If she had to describe VIRO in a few sentences, what would they be? ‘You know, this company really looks after its people. VIRO is almost like a family, in fact. A little while ago, I visited the site in Hengelo, and I just walked into the EA department as if I’d always been there. People came up to me saying: “Hey, great to see you, do you know what you’re doing this afternoon yet?” That was a really special feeling.’