Meet the people behind Stafier | Derrick Braun

Lateral entrant turns hobby into career at Stafier

Since May of this year, we have welcomed a new team member to our engineering department with 25-year-old Derrick Braun. He worked as a graphic designer, but Stafier gave him the opportunity to retrain. Naturally, we want to know more about that. So let’s take some time for a closer acquaintance.

Although Derrick was always interested in technology, he chose to study graphic design after high school: “I was always creative, so I thought becoming a designer was a logical choice. But soon it became clear that the technology within design suited me more.” So it didn’t take long before Derrick decided to follow his heart. “I didn’t like my job as much anymore. I couldn’t put my heart into it, so I decided to look further. One of my friends advised me to set my sights on something in engineering. He saw that I was always busy with technical things at home and saw an engineer in me. And that’s funny, because I hadn’t thought of that myself.”

Unique opportunity

That turned out to be the final push Derrick needed to take the step to broaden his horizons. “Through Janssen Detachering, I came into contact with Stafier. Right from the first interview my gut feeling was right and the first impression was top-notch. It is a company with a lot of knowledge. Most people have been working here for a long time, which is a good sign. Everyone who works here really has a passion for technology, has a heart for the business and goes to work with pleasure. In addition, it’s one of the few companies that does everything in-house, from design to development. So there is a lot to learn here. Especially because the company keeps developing and we also respond to the latest developments and techniques. For young people like me, it’s a unique opportunity to experience that up close.”

Dream job

So Derrick can count on a workplace where he learns new things every day. He also still has his nose in the school books. “One day a week, through the Anton Tijdink vocational school, I am in the workshop in the morning and in the afternoon I’m in school. I had already made SolidWorks my own before I started working at Stafier, now I can put that into practice. But I still haven’t finished learning! This is most certainly the job I’ve always wanted. It even drives my girlfriend crazy, because after work I am always busy with technology. At home I am also working with SolidWorks. Just because I like it so much. You can actually say that I have turned my hobby into my job!”