bloom: Figen Kirkgoz
From Turkey to Dubai and Belgium: Figen Kirkgoz spreads her wings at KBC
Company: KBC, IT
Job title: functional analyst/ IT Trainee
Passion and drive know no boundaries, proves the story of Figen Kirkgoz, functional analyst at KBC. While studying, she settled down in Belgium and rolled into the tech world. "You don't have to have the perfect education or already know everything about tech. It's pretty okay to learn 'along the way.'"
Figen's story did not start in Belgium, but at her roots in Turkey. "Social sciences fascinated me enormously," she looks back. "Anyone who wants to go to university in Turkey has to take an exam to do so. I did, after which I could choose from fields of study such as psychology, sociology and philosophy. Psychology appealed to me the most. Not that I knew then what I wanted to do with it, but it interested me and my parents also agreed with that choice."
During her studies, Figen noticed that she was hungry for more. "I didn't want to become a clinical psychologist or therapist, I wanted to do something with psychology AND business, in HR or as a business psychologist, for example. My university was open to choosing a second major, so I chose to study business in addition."
Living Abroad
Her Erasmus journey eventually takes her as far as Belgium. "I always wanted to live abroad. When I was seven, my parents divorced and I left for Dubai with my mother. So from a young age I was used to traveling back and forth between Dubai and Istanbul by myself."
Only this trip goes a little differently. "It was covid when I left on Erasmus, which worried my parents. After two months, I had to return home." Still, the experience set a lot of things in motion for Figen. "I so enjoyed being independent and discovering how to stand on my own two feet without the help of others." So after earning her bachelor's degree in Turkey, Figen applied for a master's degree in Belgium.
"So from a young age, I was used to traveling back and forth between Dubai and Istanbul on my own."
This time she chooses a different direction. "Through my studies, I became fascinated with statistics, data analysis and research, so I decided to do the Theory and Research Master's in Psychology at KU Leuven."
First steps in tech
After completing her master's degree, Figen was left with question marks. "I talked to several professors and doctoral students because I had doubts about whether I should stay in the research world or perhaps opt for a full-time job with a company. To get some clarity in my head, I went to a KBC event," she says. "There I talked to numerous people who worked as functional analysts, data analysts and also engineers."
"I also talked to a lot of women there in those roles," she continues. "I told them that I felt a little insecure about my technical skills. Yes, I knew some programming, but there was still so much to learn. Those women immediately put me at ease. They urged me that I didn't have to have gigantic technical skills yet, but that I had to have a certain passion for the subject and the will to improve. Just try it, they said. That created the click in my head, after which I applied for KBC's IT traineeship."
"They pressed me that I didn't have to have gigantic technical skills yet, but that I had to have a certain passion for the subject and the will to improve. Just try it, they said."
The IT traineeship lasts approximately 27 to 30 months and is designed for recent masters graduates with ambition and a career goal. By gaining experience in different fields, trainees quickly learn new concepts and are set up for accelerated professional growth. "All trainees work on three projects and get to sample different roles such as functional analyst, data analyst or systems engineer. After those three projects, you choose the path you want to follow," Figen explains.
Mom as a role model
So from psychology to IT, how did her family react to that turnaround and the move to Belgium? "My parents miss me, of course, but they have always respected my choices and supported me in any way they could. Knowing that they were behind me also made the switch to Belgium a lot easier," sounds sincere.
"My mother is my role model. She was not afraid to leave her comfort zone when she moved to Dubai alone with me."
"When I told them I didn't want to be a researcher anymore, but wanted to go into IT, they were a little surprised," she laughs. "Funny enough, my mom also works at a bank and works with IT teams. So she understands what I do and thought it was a good choice for me to get a taste of everything."
"My mother is my role model," adds the functional analyst. "She wasn't afraid to leave her comfort zone when she moved to Dubai alone with me. I saw how well she did, which made me know I could do it too. Because I wanted to be with our whole family, we ended up moving back to Turkey. So she did the same for me."
The drive to grow
How does she see her future, we want to know? "In the near future, I want to continue working in IT and try different aspects and functions in this world," reads the answer. "I enjoy what I do now as a functional analyst. It's a nice mix of human contact and technical skills."
"In the beginning I was insecure and didn't understand what was happening, but over time my knowledge grew and therefore my confidence. I want to keep building on that." Figen's confidence is indeed palpable. "I think my period of searching helped in that. To get out there, I was constantly looking for ways to improve myself and boost my skills, both hard skills and soft skills. My job at KBC, the learning opportunities they offer and the support of my colleagues also help me in this," she explains the reason for her grown self-confidence.
"I often have to explain that it is not the degree that is decisive, but the skills I have. The fact that I have had to explain myself many times boosts my self-confidence.
"I think I have a certain drive by nature: if I want to achieve something, I work for it. I have to. Whenever I tell someone that I am a functional analyst, they don't understand the link with my degree in psychology. I have to explain that it is not the degree that is decisive, but the skills I have. The fact that I have had to explain myself many times boosts my self-confidence."
Work in progress
What Figen is most proud of? "On the fact that I have grown so much as a person," reads the answer. "If I compare the person who lived in Turkey to who I am now, it's a world of difference. When I started at KBC I did suffer a bit from imposter syndrome. Can I do this? Am I good enough? It always had to be better and faster, so I was often hard on myself. But here I really learned what inner strength I have."
"Sometimes that imposter syndrome still sneaks up on me. That's a working point for myself, I think. But everyone has areas for improvement that way," she adds.
Tips for getting started in tech
Does Figen have any tips for other women considering getting into tech? "You don't have to have the perfect education or already know everything about tech," sounds decided. "It's pretty okay to learn along the way."
"And find people who share similar experiences with you so you can learn from them. Which doesn't mean you should always listen to what others say. Focus on yourself and then go for it. Believe in yourself."
You don't have to worry about the language barrier at KBC either. "By now I can speak Dutch reasonably well, depending on the situation we're in. It's not perfect, but I'm not afraid to speak Dutch and keep learning. Moreover, we often work internationally; for example, for my current project I am working with teams from the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. There the working language is English, which makes it easier," Figen concludes.
Inspired by Figen's story? Read on here...
Interested in working at KBC? Check out their job site here or contact Clusity! 😀
