Laurens has been with Alistar for several years now and has experienced impressive growth during that time. He began his career as an IT trainee and quickly developed into a full-fledged Cloud Engineer, with in-depth knowledge of Azure, PowerShell, and Logic Apps. In this success story, we take a closer look at what Laurens has learned at Alistar, how he has grown, and what challenges have shaped him along the way.
In January 2023, Laurens signed his contract with Alistar and began the IT Growth Program, a program that gave him the opportunity to grow both technically and personally.
“At Alistar, you learn at a fast pace, which helps you grow really quickly,” says Laurens, who now works in second-line support. “That means I handle tickets that are too difficult or time-consuming for first-line support. I also help with projects, such as Phase 1 of the automation initiative for Alistar Cloud Services.”
“During the Deep Dive”As part of the program, I then worked on various projects, both on the application side and the cloud side. During those first few months, I got a taste of both sides, which was very valuable.”
How Laurens Ended Up at Alistar
Just because he feels right at home in the world of cloud technology doesn’t mean his path to it was the most obvious one. “I once started studying Earth Sciences and Economics, but it just wasn’t the right fit for me—especially the earth science courses didn’t suit me,” Laurens explains. “I’ve always found it interesting to take computers apart and put them back together, so when I saw Alistar’s IT Trainee Program advertised, I applied right away.”
Laurens looks back on his onboarding with great enthusiasm. “The atmosphere at Alistar is very warm and welcoming. I noticed this right from the first day: colleagues were playing darts, and there was a friendly, open atmosphere.”
During the pre-hire phase that followed, Laurens was on-site less often, but he was always in contact with his career manager. He then started at Alistar’s Cloud Services division, and his first project was with one of Alistar’s partners, a college. “I supported students in using Azure Virtual Desktop during exams, helping them resolve connection issues and other technical challenges. This gave me a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the cloud industry.”
By working on various projects, you'll develop a wide range of skills, from technical to process-oriented.
My future lies in the cloud
That broad focus has paid off. “During a Mendix training session in the Deep Dive, I realized that the cloud side appealed to me much more,” Laurens explains. “It was more practical, more technical, and better aligned with my interests. That’s when I really realized that my future lies in the cloud.”
During the Deep Dive program, Laurens primarily developed skills in PowerShell, Logic Apps, and cloud migrations. He built automation solutions, such as automatically writing data to systems like Topdesk. He also worked with Azure Virtual Desktop and gained experience managing cloud user environments. Additionally, he experimented with workflows and process improvement using Power Automate and Microsoft technologies.
“By working on various projects, you develop a wide range of skills, from technical to process-oriented,” he says.
Not just learning, but also doing
Laurens found a training course focused on AZ-104 very interesting. “Especially since I was already working with Azure a lot. The training also covered topics I don’t use on a daily basis, so it was fun to experiment with them in Alistar’s test environment. Now I could really practice applying what I learned—not just learning, but actually doing it.”
For his final project in the Deep Dive program, Laurens carried out migrations from file-sharing platforms to SharePoint and email migrations. He spent a lot of time researching these projects. He has since successfully completed his final presentation for the Deep Dive phase.
Professional and Personal Growth
For Laurens, the past few years have been all about growth, both professionally and personally. “At first, I didn’t enjoy the soft skills training as much, but in the end, it really helped me,” he says. “Every week, we had to set personal goals and reflect on them. That made me more conscious of my own development—for example, in providing context during conversations and improving my presentation skills.”
Laurens admits that it was sometimes a challenge to stay motivated during training sessions that didn’t quite align with his interests. “I’ve learned to persevere, even when things got tough. In the end, you always get something out of it.” Finally, for potential new trainees considering the IT Growth Program at Alistar, Laurens has a clear piece of advice: “You’re really doing this for yourself, so make the most of it. Without dedication, you’re only holding yourself back. The first few months are the perfect time to figure out what suits you—so be sure to take full advantage of that.”
In any case, Laurens has clear goals for his own future at Alistar: “I want to continue to develop within the Cloud Services department: grow professionally, participate in new projects, and contribute to the further development of our services.”
The great thing about the cloud is that there’s still so much to discover and learn! I look forward to continuing to do that at Alistar in the coming months.