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The voices of two newcomers to the profession 13/50
One has already made some strides in the world of noise testing. The other worked in a completely different environment for years. It just shows that everyone enters M+P with a completely different background. And yet, all those specialist fields mix and match very nicely. As newcomers with fresh eyes, Hoi-Suen Batenburg-Choi and Valerie Vos - both junior consultants - saw that right away
From chemistry to sound
Hoi-Suen had a great career in chemistry, but wanted to change direction. Her search led her to M+P. She was not aware that there was a special world for sound, vibration and air quality. She immediately wanted to know more about that. "I really like the diversity of this work," she explains passionately. "Sometimes I'm sitting down with a contractor for a discussion about noise barriers on a regional road, where we represent the residents to see whether a green wall is actually effective enough in reducing noise levels in terms of optics and experience. Next I might be working with a government agency to optimise a process. Or I'm looking into the legal frameworks for updating a manual." Moreover, Hoi-Suen joined the field at a good time. "There is a lot going on in this field with the advent of the Environment Act - I can learn a lot from that."
All nerds
Valerie was already researching sound during her studies. She is one of the few at M+P who devoted her studies to sound perception. Not surprisingly, colleagues often find her to present specific questions. "I really like that everyone here is so passionate about the field. We are all nerds, really," she says, laughing. "At the end of the day, all colleagues have their own specialist field. That's inspiring and gives me energy." Like Hoi-Suen, Valerie thinks the diversity of the work is a big plus. "Taking a measurement at beautiful locations like Prinsengracht canal in Amsterdam, building a model gymnasium to run a calculation - I'm always having new adventures."
Together is typical
Both felt right at home at M+P. Valerie especially remembers how playing ping-pong in the office contributed to this sense of family. "One day, Theodoor had baked pancakes and then we started a ping pong competition. It blew me away; everyone was hell-bent on winning! Now we play a game of ping-pong together every day during lunch."
They think that working together is also the key word for the way we work within M+P. Hoi-Suen explains: "You get a lot of freedom to do your job here, even as a newcomer. This is based on the concept that there are many ways to accomplish something; it is up to us to figure out the best way. And if you get a little stuck, everyone is helpful. Together we always come up with a solution."
