Name: Pu Li
Place of Birth: Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Date of Birth: 28 May, 1985
Studied at TU/e: August 2007-August 2009. Master of Science, Electrical Engineer
Current position: I am working at ASML as a startup engineer in the Application & Business Support department

What kind of job do you have now?
As a startup engineer, I lead the project for ASML products and options in the customer site. Besides teaching the customer and local team the technologies of the tools and the analysis skills for solution searching, I am the bridge between customer and ASML, and between the ASML local office and ASML Headquarters in Veldhoven. The work itself is exciting and challenging. I can travel to different countries to execute the project on-site, and most trips are quite long. So far I have conducted four projects in three regions (Singapore six months, Korea nine months and Taiwan twelve months). The trips are also a perfect opportunity to get to know the culture and people, which is a bonus that comes with my current job.

How did you find your job?
In 2010, I was doing a research project in Israel. A friend at ASML informed me about the vacancy of my current position. She helped me by recommending me. I flew to the Netherlands for an interview. Two weeks later I got the offer. For the engineer work, I would say it is relatively easy to get a job, even for international students. For other positions, language is often a problem for most non-Dutch people, even though it’s possible to work around that.

How do you reflect on your time at TU/e?
The best part of the time at TU/e is that there are always great opportunities to gain experience in high-tech industries. But there was more to my time at TU/e than just study and work. Compared to Chinese students, Dutch students tend to enjoy life after work more. There is even a club in the basement of the Potentiaal Building (EE) that sells beer every week, which would drive most professors in China crazy. I got to know several good friends from other countries (including The Netherlands), but I would have had more if I were given the chance to do my master study at TU/e again.

What advice would you give to current students?
Join the activities of the university and be part of them. That goes for Dutch students as well: you will get to know more interesting things from Chinese students, much more than just Chinese food and ‘Hanky Panky Shanghai’. Mingle with the students from other countries. Most importantly, do not just stay in your own world, and do keep an open mind to all the new things. One useful suggestion to international students who want a job in the Netherlands after graduation is: always make sure to use every opportunity to build your network outside of the class study. Possibly, the internship you did in the company or the alumni you knew during the beer drinking can help you to find a position which is not shown in the job board.