FROM RETRO GAMES TO HIGH-TECH CHALLENGES: MARLIES FOLLOWS HER CHILDHOOD DREAM

Marlies Claeyssens, Network and security engineer at KBC

Where some women only lose their hearts to tech later in life, it was clear to Marlies Claeyssens from a young age: she would stick her hands in a web of cables! As Network and Security Engineer and recently also Product Owner Network Security at KBC that is exactly what she does! "For me, things have to be a little challenging." 🦾🖥️🔌

A passion for the 'why'

"How does this work? And why does it work this way? That's what I always wanted to know," Marlies looks back. Understanding things is the common thread throughout her story, ever since childhood. " I was about 7 or 8 years old when I started tinkering with my grandfather's discarded computers," she says. "My mom worked shifts as a nurse and my dad was an industrial painter. After school, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. My grandfather worked for an architect and needed good computers. I got the discards to screw open and take out take apart. But also to play retro 8-bit games on Windows 3.1."

"My friends didn't think that was cool, no, but that didn't stop me."

Start young and you’ll master it for life, Marlies is living proof of that. "I knew I wanted to do something in IT and my parents also knew they couldn't stop me. So when I went to 5th grade, I changed schools to one where they were doing a lot of programming, hardware and system administration. That was in preparation for my further studies. It was a schoolmate who told me about this new school and asked me to go with him. He knew I liked IT." Whether her classmates understood her choice? "My friends didn't think it was cool, no, but that didn't stop me," Marlies laughs.

Human and technology: the perfect combination

Today Marlies spends her working days as a Network & Security Engineer. That choice was no coincidence. "The first IT job I did, at my first employer, was pretty general support, with a bit of system administration and a bit of network administration," she says. "I had some colleagues in network administration with whom it clicked well and they became my mentors. That's how I got in touch with that passion." That Marlies was not going into programming was very clear. "I did my internship in programming. I really hated that," she laughs. " I was always just sitting at my desk, whereas I just wanted to connect with people, be on the job and physically do things like screw servers apart and play with cables," she sounds amused.

"I had some colleagues in network management with whom it clicked well, and they became my mentors."

Does she have that combination of both human contact and technical work today? "My job today is very varied because I wear two hats," Marlies answers. "Since February last year, I have been working part-time as a product owner. Together with my team, I decide what work will be done and what we will plan in the future. The other half of the time I am doing the technical part: installing, configuring, programming, ... in short, I still get to play with cables." She likes that combination. "I like that human touch enormously. I not only consult with my colleagues, but also with managers and other teams. This happens internationally, in Hungary and Belgium. Together we find out what they need and how I can help to make it better in the future." Living your passion and making an impact on the lives of millions of customers with innovations is something KBC is passionate about, it sounds like. Challenging job opportunities for Young Graduates and experts, which Marlies also applied for.

"I don't think we can go much bigger in Belgium in terms of technical challenge than here at KBC."

How did Marlies actually end up at KBC? "At first I worked for SMEs, but I didn't find that technically challenging enough," she admits. "Then I joined a large company in the logistics sector. I really wanted to work with a big player, because then you get that technological challenge: more hardware, more infrastructure, more branches and more countries. It's exactly the same at KBC. I don't think we can go much bigger in Belgium in terms of technical challenge than we can here at KBC," sounds the reply. "That's what I need. For me, it should be challenging."

Always up for a challenge

It is no coincidence, then, that her greatest successes are often precisely those most exciting projects. "At my previous employer, I had an assignment in Singapore. That was a tough one. Both personally, because I had lost my luggage, and technically challenging," Marlies laughs. "Bringing those short, spicy projects where you're under a lot of pressure to a successful conclusion, that's what I enjoy. For example, here at KBC we are renovating the infrastructure. Weekend after weekend, we set up all kinds of things in the early hours and give the best of ourselves. I'm proud to be a part of that."

"Bringing those short, intense projects where you're under a lot of pressure to a successful conclusion is something I find enjoyable."

In her personal life, Marlies also likes a challenge. "I studied Japanese for eight years. I finished that course last year." Where that interest came from? "Among other things, as a child I played a lot of Japanese games and watched a lot of anime and manga. That made me want to go to Japan. And then, of course, I wanted to be able to speak a little Japanese. Meanwhile, I've been there three times and I can have conversations." Again, the love of understanding things was central: "You hear a word and you want to dissect why it is said that way. And then you want to understand a little more and even be able to read something and voila ... then you're off."

Whatever will be, will be

"I'm always have six hobbies at the same time," she adds. "I just really enjoy learning. That's very typical in the IT world." With that, she immediately offers a tip for other women considering getting into IT. "The job evolves very quickly. We are constantly changing technologically. So you have to keep learning, and they put a lot of effort into that at KBC. I think it's fantastic to see what's possible now, things we couldn't dream of even five years ago. If that's something that appeals to you, then maybe this path is for you."

Whether that means she never feels different as a woman? "No, anything but. My female qualities just add value to the team. On several levels," sounds the answer. "On the one hand, our ability to listen and our commitment ensure that we look at technical problems from a different angle, which allows us to come up with innovative solutions together. On the other hand, we tend to be more empathetic, which means we are quicker to ask for something personal as well, instead of just talking about work. That strengthens the team spirit. It is not only the result in itself that counts, the mutual bond facilitates those results. Partly because of that added value, the tech sector could use more women."

We already talked about her grandfather and her colleagues as role models and mentors, but did Marlies have any others? "My teachers in college were all passionate about their subjects. I enjoyed going to those courses, even the ones I didn't like very much," her answer reads. " I also get a lot of inspiration from my boyfriend. He's also in IT, in system administration. It's a special world, so the fact that he understands it, experiences it and feels it, helps. We both love gaming! We have a bigger collection of game consoles than you can ever imagine," she laughs.

"I just enjoy life very much."

"I let myself be guided by what comes next," Marlies replies when we ask her if she has any particular ambitions. "At the moment I am growing in what I am doing today. I’ll see what else comes my way, I never really plan ahead. That explains a few things," she laughs. "We have been looking for a house for a long time. Even there, I tend to let things come at me as they are. I just enjoy life very much," she concludes.

Are you yourself perhaps looking for variety and opportunities to grow? Marlies is still looking for great new colleagues! Check here!

Thanks to KBC For supporting women in tech! Inspired by Marlies' story? Register here and get even more stories! 😄