Alumnus Keaghan about IEM
The South African Keaghan just finished his study at Fontys Eindhoven and is following the traditional route, becoming an industrial engineer at Amazon in the UK. Join him in his IE&M journey, tips, and experience as one of the top students of IE&M.
Coming from South Africa and having a Dutch father, Keaghan chose to study in The Netherlands. After meeting up with a career counselor, Keaghan concluded to follow a study at a university of applied sciences to have a more practical approach. Keaghan always was good in the beta subjects and for him, the first year was smooth and easy.
“I often said to teachers: so, what now? We already did this.”
It is simple, attending the lectures and doing your homework did the charm. I was lucky to be good in subjects as mathematics and physics and saw people study a lot for that, it is not rocket science but being prepared for these subjects does give you an advantage in the study. It is a broad study, and you approach stuff in a general way, you can always jump into a dialogue about the subjects even though you are not specialized. That is a good skill to have for a person in a managerial role for example.
Something I wished I did pay more attention to the workshops and projects. I often was in doubt and didn’t understand why we learned certain things but when I gained work experience, everything came together, and saw the bigger picture. Trust the process, it is a good study!
“I implement things that I learned and did in my study daily.”
I took the traditional route and did my minor in OPEX, a Fontys minor that specializes in operational management and operational excellence. With this, I got my Lean Six Sigma green belt which was a great addition to my study. I’m a bit biased by following the OPEX minor but I would recommend everybody if your interests are in the right place to follow this minor to have a perfect addition to your study. It is great preparation for your career.
After and during the minor I did internships at Nike, Kraft Heinz, and AAE. Big and professional companies that had a great influence on my work experience and knowledge.
After the study, it didn’t take long before acquiring a job. Companies are always in need of industrial engineers and having study and work experience had a great advantage for me in my job search.
“I have friends that went to a research university and see them struggle in getting jobs as the practical knowledge and work experience is missing.”
Working at Amazon made me realize the things I learned weren’t for nothing and all the hard work that I did pay off greatly. I would recommend everybody to follow their passion. I’m still in contact with that career counselor and I’m grateful to have talked with her in choosing the right study and university!
