The beginning

How Oocademy became more than a dream

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It all started when Yenthe was still in secondary school, focussing on woodworking. He grew up in a family that loved working with their hands. As a kid, he could spend hours watching his grandfather create the most beautiful furniture he'd ever seen. Yenthe followed their interest, but soon realised that he didn't share the same passion.

Age 12: 'You're not smart enough'

Yenthe was 12 years old when he attended secondary school. After the first year, a general year, his teachers noticed the struggle he had with mathematics.

They told him and his parents that he wouldn’t be able to continue studying at this level: they literally said that he wouldn’t be smart enough.

He then had to decide in which discipline he would proceed: metalworking, electricity or woodworking. He admired his dad and grandfather a lot for their woodworking skills, so his decision wasn’t a surprise.

He chose to follow his family’s footsteps, hoping he could pass the craftmanship on to the next generation.

Woodworking bench with material

Age 16: Eureka!

During the next years, Yenthe proceeded his study. He learned to craft chairs, windows, stairs and different kinds of furniture. Making a lot of technical drawings was also part of the curriculum. It was at the age of 16 that Yenthe realised that he didn’t share the passion for woodworking like his dad and grandfather.

Runescape: an online game

Trying to escape from his homework (more of those horrible technical drawings!), Yenthe played an online game called Runescape. The more he started to dislike his education, the more he focussed on the game.

That’s when he came to understand his own passion: online games and its development! And so he started making plans for high school.

Age 18: 'Don't even try attending high school'

It wasn’t easy, but Yenthe pushed through and succesfully completed secondary school. It felt like a relief. Now it was finally time to focus on his newly discovered interest

The choice of studying Applied Informatics was easily made. Finding a suited high school however wasn’t as easy as he had assumed.

Since he came from a totally different education level, most high schools told him not to even try attending. They proclaimed he only had a change of 4% at succesfully completing the study.

It was just like secondary school all over again. But Yenthe was determined to carry on.

Person typing on laptop
‘I was offended by all the doubt and disbelief in my capacities.
It did not discourage me. Not at all.
It gave me strength to prove them wrong.’

How it all worked out

And then, 4 years later, Yenthe stood there at his graduation. Proudly presenting his high school diploma with a big smile on his face. It was time to begin a professional working life.

It all evolved very quickly. Starting as an Odoo developer, Yenthe soon noticed that he made the right decision changing his field of study when going to high school. He really enjoyed developing and immediately got involved in the Odoo Community. It wasn’t long before he grew into the role of technical teamleader.

Now, 4 years after starting as a developer, we can say that Yenthe has already been pretty succesful.

Yenthe showing his award for best contributor
Yenthe being awarded the title Odoo community hero

In 2016 Yenthe was rewarded for his contribution to the Odoo Community by winning the ‘Best Contributor of 2016’-award!

The year after, in 2017, he has been given the title ‘Odoo Community Hero’.

Last year, in 2018, he was nominated for the award of ‘Best Translator’. He was also thanked - and asked on stage - for his numerous contributions to Odoo in 2018.

Besides these prices, Yenthe is also a valued member of the Odoo Community. He’s a well-known face, always willing to help other developers where possible.

Being this active within the community, Yenthe began to notice some struggle amongst other members with finding clear and detailed documentation. Since he knew how it felt to struggle, it was something he took very seriously and cared about. And that’s where the plans of Oocademy started to grow.

While he was busy renovating his first house and arranging a marriage the same time, he could not let the ideas of Oocademy go. It took some time (and some encouragement of his wife), but in august 2018 he decided to take the leap.
Cody - Oocademy's mascotte

And here we are!

That’s right, you’ve ended up at Oocademy’s website! While Oocademy is still in full development, we’ve already created this website for you.

Oocademy will be world’s first Odoo technical training platform. You’ll be able to follow step-by-step tutorials, browse through extensive documentation, use time-saving code generators and follow online webinars. And if that’s not enough, you’ll also be able to assemble your own trainingscourse, take an online exam and receive an unique certificate!

Oocademy revolves around sharing valuable knowledge, saving time and most importantly: enjoy developing without any frustrations!

Do you want to help realize this upcoming platform?

Send us a message so we can give you more information.