"Languages and AI: the perfect combination in my profession."
Meet Aron Hammond, Machine Learning Engineer at DPG Media
How does someone with a specific interest in Artificial Intelligence end up at a media company? Aron Hammond (29) has been working here as a Machine Learning Engineer for about three years now, and by now he feels like he is right at home. What does he think is an important mindset in his work and what career advice has always stuck with him? 'In terms of colleagues, it has always been good here.'
Language
"When I graduated in AI, I already had a keen interest in building models on large datasets, especially language models. I think because language is very human-like: it is the way we think and communicate. So it is not surprising that I ended up at DPG Media: a company where there is a lot of language, which I can combine with my enthusiasm for AI."
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PASSPORT
Who: Aron Hammond
Age: 29
Current position: Machine Learning Engineer
Works: 3 years at DPG Media
Enrich
"Last year, I was asked to join DPG Media's talent programme: a programme in which sixty colleagues from across the organisation meet every month. We share experiences, learn from each other and the programme is also dedicated to personal development. This has really allowed me to build a personal bond with colleagues I wouldn't have easily encountered otherwise, such as colleagues from editorial or sales. It is an opportunity that I am very happy to have been given and is worth a lot to me. I actually hope this programme will actually be pulled much wider, for more colleagues."
Rising fog
"DPG Media is sometimes quite a complex company to be in. But because I now know a lot more people throughout the organisation, I feel much more integrated into the company as a whole. Before, it felt more like separate islands, but now I notice that the fog has lifted from the landscape, although the landscape itself has not changed. The company feels like home to me now."
Frustration tolerance
"In my field, you need a certain kind of problem-solving ability: after all, the solution is always there, you just have to find it. I think that's an important mindset. In doing so, you also need a lot of patience and a high tolerance for frustration, because things often don't work out right away. But if you have the rock-solid belief that the solution is there, it makes it more bearable."
Amsterdam - Antwerp
As an Amsterdam native, working in Amsterdam is just really nice. But I'm also in Antwerp a lot. I have gained a lot of affinity with Flanders through my work and even watch a Flemish TV programme now. In terms of culture, I don't notice much difference between the Netherlands and Belgium: I think IT people mostly share the same personality traits, especially when it comes to problem solving. As for colleagues, it has always actually been really nice here."
Tailwind
"I have been working at DPG Media for three years now, and actually my job still feels uncomfortable. In a good way, because I'm still learning every day. I don't have a dot on the horizon for five years from now, which is difficult sometimes. But not so long ago, my mentor said: growing can hurt sometimes, and that’s allowed. All you have to do is focus on projects, or on work that you are naturally good at and want to grow in. If you start with a lot of wind against you, the situation is not sustainable. Besides, from the very beginning, I have had the complete trust of everyone around me to totally own a project, even if it was small."