Niels Henrik: Experience from different branches is my selling point

How does a normal day look for you?

That is a good question, because two days are not the same. I both work as a consultant, developer, team leader, recruiter and much more, and there is always a diverse range of things that I do. This means that there is a big variation in the work that I do every day. Some days I work on a project for a customer, other days I have workshops with my colleagues from Austria, some days I have long meetings with customers – so all in all, many different things.   

How did you start working with IT and BI?

IT was never the end-goal, and I have been in many different directions in my career. I started out taking an education in radio technology but ended up wanting to study an engineering degree in electricity like most of my old friends, yet I did not get through. However, I ended up going my own way, which had the result, I became the manager of the people with the long and fancy engineer degree, that I went to high school with. I had my education in radio technology, but this was more hardware than software. So as a counter to that, I became an autodidact in software and coding. Nevertheless, I have not had the common career path as everyone else who works with IT and BI. I have both a bachelor’s degree in commerce in accounting, and I have worked both within IT, finance and freelance branches. If I have to be honest, all my diverse work is what makes me an expert in my field here in the Nordic department.  

Why did you choose to work for BE-terna?

I became a part of BE-terna just after they acquired the Danish SolutionHouse. I have worked with the previous owners of SolutionHouse in the early days, and we had been talking about joining forces again. Then the acquisition came, and we became BE-terna Denmark, and it have been a help. Because with the new organisation, there were people in other areas of Europe, who also worked with BI, which meant that I should not start from scratch. So, I did not directly choose to work in BE-terna, but I am really thrilled that I am now. There are many opportunities, recourses and always help if it is needed. 

What are the pros and cons of your job?

The biggest pro is actually also the biggest con, because it is the fact that I have so much variation in my work. It can be very stressful both to be the consultant and the developer and to be the only one in your department. Nonetheless, the pressure can also be thrilling. The feeling after finishing a solution for an organisation that has been stressful for a long time, is indescribable.  

Do you have any good advice for people who wants to work with IT and BI?

I think the most important thing is that it should be interesting what you do. As mentioned before, my job is very different from day to day, and I have many ‘hats’ in my department. However, it is very interesting, and there are always different issues from customer to customer. This means that you have to be creative in some sort, but also be able to keep calm even though the job can be stressful from time to time. But if you know that this is what you are meant to do, then my best advice is just to do it!