The decision to become an expert in Business Information Technology in the Netherlands has worked out well!
After Prince completed his Bachelor's in Computer Science and Engineering from the National Institute of Technology (NIT-Calicut) in India, he started looking for his next challenge. He was looking for an education with a mix of business administration and IT. Not surprisingly, he found a perfect master's programme at UT, Business Information Technology (BIT). Today, he is a Business Architect at the Strategy and Architecture department within Alliander.
A new programme in a new country
I visited the Business Information Technology website which provided me with the right information through text, videos and FAQs. This gave me a good idea of what this programme entailed and I eventually chose the Enterprise Architecture (EA) specialisation. I attended very interesting lectures by Professor Roel Wieringa, which taught me a different perspective on business concepts. I also remember the lectures on Information Systems of Maarten van Sinderen very well. I have never regretted choosing BIT!
Of course, I had to get used to coming to the Netherlands to study and live here. Everything, but really everything, was different. You could almost say I went through a culture shock. The food is different, you arrive in a different environment and have to deal with a completely different culture, the weather is much colder, and the language is also quite difficult to learn. And on top of that, you come into a different university environment with different rules compared to what we have in India. There is a big difference from how things are in India in terms of preparing for exams, how you work with teachers and fellow students, how you study, and that you have a say in your studies. I was not used to that.
The responsibility of studying in India lies with the lecturer. In the Netherlands, you are the one responsible for becoming an expert in your field. The professors and teachers guide you in this, but you are the one who has to take control. This has also made me a bit of a different person, and I don't mean that in a negative sense. I am very happy with how I live now and how I have grown as a person during my studies. I have made many friends, met and worked with many colleagues, gained new knowledge and now also speak good Dutch.
Stay within academia or go into business?
After graduating, I didn't want to leave the academic world yet; it continued to fascinate me. So I decided to look for a PhD position and I found it within UT-BIT. My PhD research “Integration Platform Architecture” had a lot of overlap with my graduation project. I worked on smart transport planning for a logistics company in Overijssel in cooperation with UT and TNO under the supervision of the aforementioned UT lecturers Roel Wieringa and Maarten van Sinderen. The assignment was practical and interesting. I found answers to issues such as: How do different parties deal with data sharing, how does it fit in context, and do you also include current data on delays/disruptions in your planning? In 2019, I successfully defended my PhD thesis.
Promotion ceremony Prince Singh, September 2019
And then it was time to find a job in a company
I currently work as a Business Architect within Alliander in Arnhem, using my domain knowledge and IT expertise to make business-critical processes successful. I like the working conditions within Alliander because I enjoy working in a multidisciplinary team and Alliander offers me a challenging environment. I feel comfortable in situations where project deadlines are strict and project objectives can change frequently and within which I can translate business strategy into tangible deliverables.
Presentation on Value-oriented architecture design bij LF Energy Summit, Brussels 2024
