ING ITP IT Trainee Marlo Ploemen

Marlo leans back from his laptop. “This is my first interview,” he says. “I thought it would be in person, but doing this via Teams is fine, too.” Marlo has been working at ING as a trainee for almost a year now. “But before then, I had already been working for some time, as part of my final project for my Masters’ in Computer Science. That's when I came across the ITP programme and decided to apply. I submitted several applications and then made a conscious decision to opt for ING. I was looking for in-depth technical work and at ING I can work in multiple areas across several teams consecutively. As part of a team, the main focus is on the work, of course, but you can also talk about all sorts of other things because there are so many trainees. I really enjoy that. The programme will take two years and includes a six-month assignment abroad. When I joined ING, I weighed their employment conditions, of course, and I tried not to look only at the salary but at the complete reward package, which probably comprises around ten employment conditions. Pension, the topic of this interview, is one of them. At ING, a relatively large part goes into pension. I took all those things into account.”

The sooner the better
“I'm a member of a trainee network committee that organises activities like lunch seminars. My colleague Emma came up with the idea of organising a lunch seminar about pensions, a topic that's relevant to everyone…. including young people. The sooner you start, the better. Although I don't have anything to with pensions work-wise, I am intrinsically motivated to learn about it. I want to know what I’m spending my money on. During my studies I had a job on the side, which enabled me to set aside some money, to buy a house for instance. And that’s what I've just done! Next, I want to find a good balance for my finances. For instance by deciding whether to invest in ETFs or set aside savings for unexpected expenses. Or pay off some of my mortgage. Unfortunately, interest rates are currently higher than ever in the past 15 years.” 

Not thrifty, but aware
“Haha. No, I'm not really a thrifty type of person. You know, I'm a technical guy. If you could see all the gadgets I've bought, you'd understand. I try to set aside some savings every month. I keep an eye on how much I can spend, so I know where my money is going. Sharing holiday moments with my family, for example. That was a conscious decision. Like the one I'm making now. I feel it's a waste of my money to buy coffee on the go or travel by car when the train is cheaper. To me, those are unnecessary expenses. But they might not be for others, and that's okay. What counts for me is awareness about what I'm spending my money on, and how much.”

Pension most visited
“The lunch meeting we organised together with ING CDC Pensioenfonds turned out to be one of the most visited seminars in ages. We had reserved an hour for it, but there were so many questions that it took much longer. The audience was very eager to understand everything. And the explanations were very clear and practical. For instance, that you shouldn't forget to register your partner if you’re living together without a cohabitation contract. And how pension works and what types of pension there are. The way I see it, you come across a new topic and hear new terms, and then you immerse into it to learn more. If you don't, you won’t get much further than the term ‘pension’ and you won't know what to look for. It's like a situation I had during my Bachelors’ programme. I came across Python, a programming language. If you never use it, it'll stay an abstract thing. But if you work with it now and then, and know what difficulties you run into, you can look for solutions.”

Goals
“Looking at my own future, I haven’t thought about early retirement. I do think about the major expenses that are likely to come my way in life. Like if I ever have kids. In terms of my work, I do have concrete goals. I want to finish this programme first, and then grow into a role with multiple components, like the one I am now immersed in. I would love to be involved in the bigger picture and play more of a connecting role between multiple teams.” 

My message
“My message is the same as those of the ‘learnings’ at the lunch seminar. That you should be aware of the expenses you expect to have in future and how much you want to spend. Make some sort of plan to set out what you'd like to do until your retirement. Make it specific, so you know where you stand rather than just make plans.”