Jesse Meenink on his flying start as a Business Intelligence Consultant

Via an online game to an internship

How Jesse ended up at Axelio is unique, to say the least. "I actually came in through a colleague with whom I happened to play online," Jesse laughs. "When I was looking for an internship for my HBO ICT program, he said, 'Just throw a ball here!'."

Jesse started his research on AI and Microsoft Copilot within Business Intelligence in May 2024. "My conclusion back then? Promising, but we shouldn't jump headfirst onto the hype train. The technology has matured a lot since then, and we are fully engaged with it. Soon we will even have an internal hackathon to bring the latest AI applications into practice very concretely!"

Making an impact with large clients

Jesse is now fully working as a Business Intelligence Consultant. His role is very diverse and encompasses both the 'back end' and the 'front end' of data. "On one hand, I do pieces of data engineering, such as writing SQL code and unlocking data. On the other hand, I deal with data analysis and help make reporting requests possible in Power BI."

Currently, he is working on a large project. "It's incredibly cool to have such a large project where we bring together various source systems centrally. You can immediately see the impact your work has on the operations of such an organization."

Room to learn and fall

Jesse found the transition from student to full-time work quite challenging at first. "It's a big change in your lifestyle." Yet he felt immediately supported by the open culture. At Axelio, you are not left to your own devices, but are intensively guided. Jesse works closely with his buddy and regularly coordinates with the lead consultant. The space to learn is central.

During the Power BI User Days, Jesse heard a session from a former colleague who compared his career as a data specialist to the development in martial arts. That image has stayed with Jesse ever since:

"Look, as a junior, you actually have the white belt in a martial art. The only thing you're going to do is step onto the mat and occasionally fall hard. In other words: you are allowed to make mistakes. In fact, that's how you learn best." That thought aligns perfectly with how Jesse sees his own development: by doing, trying, and sometimes failing, you grow the fastest.

Learning together, relaxing together

In addition to hard work, there is also plenty of room for fun and team spirit. From his home in Apeldoorn, Jesse is often found at the office in Bunnik.

"It's incredibly open here. You can walk in on anyone with a question, whether it's a fellow junior colleague or a director." Even outside of working hours, plenty is organized. "We have bi-weekly knowledge sessions on Fridays where we learn from each other, but we also do a lot of fun activities, like go-karting, a ski trip, and recently we had a very enjoyable team outing in Den Bosch."

A tip for emerging talent

When we ask Jesse what he is most proud of, he doesn't have to think long. "Especially about my own personal development."

"I really stepped out of my comfort zone and made huge leaps in a short time."

His most important tip for other (young) IT professionals who are at the beginning of their careers? "As my colleague often tells me, Keep it simple! If you get stuck somewhere, don't stew on it alone for hours, just ask a colleague. Everyone here wants to help you."