HI NICK CAN YOU TELL OUR READERS A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?

Hi, I'm Nick van Osch. In my free time, I like to go mountain biking, go for a run, or spend time on my flight simulator at home. Currently I am a cloud engineer within the Essent Cloud team.

CAN YOU BRIEFLY SHARE A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND HOW YOU GOT STARTED IN IT?

I've had an interest in technology from a young age. I studied Business IT & Management in college and later graduated for the master's degree: Information Management.

During the first year of my studies, I had to collaborate with Computer Science students to build a website for a company. I was immediately drawn to how we had to set everything up from scratch. Creating and designing the website with HTML and CSS was something I really enjoyed, and through trial and error, I learned a lot.

Even though my education was more business and management oriented, I always had a strong interest in engineering and the technical side of things. That curiosity has been a continuous thread in my career.

WERE THERE ANY KEY EXPERIENCES OR MENTORS THAT SHAPED YOUR JOURNEY?

Someone I really look up to is my uncle. During my student days, I had a part-time job at a company where he was one of the directors. We worked together on a back-end system, and he really introduced me to the world of coding. Watching him work was like watching a magician haha, he just knew how to make things happen with code.

Outside of work, he’s also a big inspiration because he’s very skilled and handy in whatever he seems to do. From coding to building houses, his motto was always: “Just do it, that’s how you’ll learn.” That mindset really stuck with me.

WHAT WAS THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON YOU LEARNED DURING YOUR EARLY CAREER?

One of the most valuable lessons I learned early on is that it's okay to realize when something isn’t the right fit, and to take action to change it.

After my traineeship within Essent, I started as a Site Reliability Engineer, but it turned out to be a bit too technical for me at that point in my career. Instead of staying in a role that didn’t fully suit me, I decided to transition to the cloud team as an engineer. That move allowed me to use my strengths much more effectively and helped me grow in the right direction.

HOW DID YOU COME TO WORK AT ESSENT?

This is actually a bit of a funny story. While I was in the last phase of my master’s degree, I had to look for a company to conduct research and write my thesis. My mother was working at Essent at that moment. She ended up being my way in, she helped me get a conversation started with some managers from the IT department.

That conversation eventually led to a great opportunity, and that’s how my journey at Essent began!

WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE COMPANY, AND HOW HAVE THEY CHANGED SINCE?

My first impression was that Essent is a large organization, but within the IT department, I immediately noticed a very informal and welcoming atmosphere.

Everyone was approachable, whether you were talking to senior management or a fellow team member. There’s this friendly, down-to-earth vibe, which I think really comes from Essent’s Brabant roots. That sense of openness and connection has stayed the same, and it’s something I still really value today.

COULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND YOUR PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES?

As a junior cloud engineer, I’m part of the central Cloud Team within Essent. With this team, I support Essent’s DevOps teams by providing Cloud services and tools that help streamline and improve their development and operations processes.

Lately we are also more focused on providing consultancy towards the DevOps teams. For example, we provide Cloud Cost or Architecture Consultations. We also focus on building and providing building blocks to the teams, an example is BackupBuddy.

Also, at the moment we are focusing on moving all teams within Essent to CRA2.0. This stands for Cloud Reference Architecture 2.0, which is driven by us as the Cloud Platform team, and focuses on building a new platform for the teams to use to enhance the happiness and productivity of our engineers.

(For more context, check out this article by Nicholas which explains our approach in more detail.)

WHAT PROJECT OR INITIATIVE ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

During my traineeship, I co-created an initiative called the IPE – Improvement Planning Event – the little sister of the PIPE – together with the leadership team. It was an internal improvement planning session, but this time focused on management and leadership rather than the delivery teams. 

It was great to contribute to something that helped bring structure and alignment to a higher level in the organization, while also keeping the spirit of continuous improvement alive.

CAN YOU SHARE SOME CHALLENGES YOU’VE FACED IN YOUR ROLE, AND HOW YOU OVERCAME THEM?

One of the challenges I faced was that I didn’t start out as a full-fledged engineer, as I was initially missing some technical knowledge. Fortunately, I can build up this experience within my own team, which helps me avoid getting stuck.  I’ve also been actively working on closing the knowledge gap by following training courses and learning on the job.

I am happy and grateful that Essent provides me with the space and resources to develop my knowledge.

HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS IN YOUR CURRENT POSITION?

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE CULTURE WITHIN YOUR TEAM OR DEPARTMENT?

There’s a lot of fun and positive energy in our team; we truly support each other through thick and thin. We’re able to speak openly and honestly with one another, which creates a strong sense of trust and connection. It’s a very solid and close-knit team.
We’re also quite diverse in terms of nationalities, which brings fresh perspectives and makes collaboration even more interesting.

HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT WITHIN YOUR TEAM?

Continuous learning is a core part of our team culture. Senior colleagues actively support and mentor junior team members, and there’s a strong sense of knowledge-sharing throughout the team. We also have a rule that allows everyone to dedicate 10% of their time to self-study or work on cool projects, and this is something that’s encouraged and respected. Personal and professional development is a key focus at Essent.

WHAT ASPIRATIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR ROLE IN THE UPCOMING YEAR?

In the coming year(s), I aspire to grow towards a cloud architect role. While I genuinely enjoy the engineering side of things, I'm also eager to take on a more strategic and decision-making role. I would like to be more involved in shaping technical projects from the ground up and contribute to the design of reusable building blocks that teams can rely on.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND HOW DO YOU USUALLY START YOUR DAY?

I try to work out as much as possible, staying physically fit is key to staying mentally fit. Sometimes, as a team we also go for walks during lunch breaks at the office, which is a fun way to break up the day.

CAN YOU SHARE A FUN FACT ABOUT YOURSELF THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW?

One of the things on my bucket list is getting my pilot’s license ✈️! It’s something I really enjoy, and yes, I do have a pretty expensive bucket list haha :)!
I also have a home build flight simulator, which helps me practice and makes the whole experience even more fun.

CAN YOU SHARE A PERSONAL MANTRA OR PHILOSOPHY THAT YOU LIVE BY?

Keep learning every day and always try to keep stepping out of your comfort zone. Sometimes it’s hard but that’s where the real growth happens.

WHAT’S THE BEST CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

Stop comparing yourself to others, this has been really important for me. Everyone grows at their own pace. Also, recognize when it’s time for a new challenge, give yourself permission to explore new opportunities. Give yourself the space and permission to do so.

ANY ADVICE FOR PEOPLE ASPIRING TO WORK IN YOUR FIELD OR IN A ROLE SIMILAR TO YOURS?

Pick one area of the field that really interests you and start building your knowledge from there. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the bigger picture, but focusing on one topic helps you develop faster and in a more specialized way. And remember, it’s not a race. Everyone grows at their own pace.

We would like to thank Nick for the time he took to speak with us, and the insights he shares. If you have any lingering questions for him, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will ensure you are promptly connected.