ICT Ireland, the IBEC group representing the high-tech sector, has launched a specially developed Masters in Applied Software Technology from Dublin Institute of Technology.

The programme includes provision for a direct transition to employment with leading telecommunications technology and services provider LM Ericsson, on satisfactory completion.

The one-year intensive Masters, the first of its kind, is fully funded and includes provision for the payment of an allowance to students for the duration of the course.

The ideal candidates are those who have recently graduated with honours degrees in computing and software engineering disciplines, but candidates with qualifications in mathematics and science-related subjects are also being considered.

The candidates will be offered a full-time, permanent contract of employment with LM Ericsson, which is sponsoring the first cohort of 50 participants. The Ericsson Product Development Unit in Athlone specialises in the provision of Operations Support Systems (OSS) to telecom operators using advanced data and event management and visualization techniques.

“This programme has been developed to address the growing demand for software engineers in Ireland. Companies such as LM Ericsson are taking a proactive approach to meet these needs.

“We are excited to see the success of the programme in its first year and to build on that success by expanding to include new companies next year. Ireland has a vibrant technology sector with a promising future for graduates.”

- ICT Ireland’s director Paul Sweetman, speaking at the launch of the programme

The programme is supported by Skillnets Ltd through its Training Networks Programme, which is funded from the National Training Fund of the Department of Education and Skills. Get more information and application details on ICT Ireland Skillnet

Cliodhna McGuirk, SMS technologist

Degree

Pure and Applied Mathematics, Trinity College Dublin.

Career snapshot

Cliodhna McGuirk, Chief Technology Officer at Saadian Technologies, is an SMS trailblazer. If you’ve ever sent a text to a radio station, entered an SMS competition or received the latest sports news by text, then it’s possible that her technology made it happen. From Swords, County Dublin, Cliodhna’s interest in technology began when she studied maths in university. On graduation, she got a job in AIB and developed an interest in Internet security and programming. Her next job was with Nua – considered worldwide to be an Internet pioneer – where she worked on projects developing Internet solutions for Irish and International companies. In 1999, she co-founded Saadian Technologies, which has become one of the leading Irish Mobile Middleware and SMS companies in Ireland and beyond.

What’s so brilliant about your job?

“There is a definite buzz about working in an industry where the technology is moving so fast. I’ve always had an interest in problem solving. I enjoy talking to clients, finding out their needs and then coming back with a technical solution to solve their problems.”
“It can be a very creative process and very rewarding when you see how your software has made an impact on the company.”

How do you spend typical day?

“There are always several projects on the go. As CTO I’m involved, in some way, in every project. That could mean that in the morning I’m working with a client like Today FM, on SMS listener voting. Then in the afternoon I could be programming a new product to be used by the Government for the EU Presidency. I get to do a lot of different things. As a growing company we never say ‘no’ so it’s always busy.”

Are you computer nerd?

“No. But none of my friends are into computers. I’ve never ended up programming in a corner. It’s always been about using technology to fix problems and being able to come at things laterally, My maths definitely helped me develop those skills.”

Did science give you a buzz at school?

“I was always interested in mathematics and physics. I did applied maths as an extra subject because my school didn’t offer it for the Leaving. I really got interested after the Junior Cert. I was selected to compete in the Mathematics Olympiad, which is an international competition and involves extra training on Saturdays. It gave me a taste for doing maths at university level.”

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

“I won the Irish Internet Association Innovation Award in 2002. I was really happy because people working in the Irish Internet industry voted for me. It was great that our hard work was recognised by our peers.”

Want to find out more?

Find out more about Cliodhna’s company, Saadian Technologies

Read about why she was chosen as an Internet innovator on the Irish Internet Association website.

Discover more about studying maths at Trinity College

Johanna Bolton works as a web accessibility officer in DCU

Career snapshot

Johanna is a project officer on an important web accessibility project at Dublin City University (DCU). Web accessibility is the effort to make web pages usable by as Webmany people as possible, regardless of any disability.

This EU-funded project, Support-EAM, aims to help create a web accessibility quality mark. The DCU team works with six other organisations throughout Europe.

Johanna is from Galway and went to Salerno Secondary School in Salthill. Previously, Johanna worked as a designer in a web development company.

Degrees

• BEng (Electronic and Computer Engineering), NUI Galway, 2002
• MSc (Multimedia Systems), TCD, 2004

What’s so brilliant about your job?

“I love my job as I have always been fascinated by the Web and all that it can offer. It was designed to be accessible to all regardless of disability and it’s important to ensure that as web technologies evolve we don’t lose sight of the initial goals. “One quote from Dr ZhangXu is often used when people speak about web accessibility, and I think it gets the point across; ‘If anybody asks me what the Internet means to me, I will tell him without hesitation: To me (a quadriplegic) the Internet occupies the most important part in my life. It is my feet that can take me to any part of the world; it is my hands which help me to accomplish my work; it is my best friend – it gives my life meaning.’”

What do you like least about your job?

“As jobs go it’s pretty great, but if I really had to pick something it would be the fact that it is sometimes difficult for me to motivate myself to keep focused constantly in the research environment.”

How do you spend a typical day?

“I do all of my work in front of a computer. It involves, research, writing documents, commenting on documents and website evaluations.”

Does your work require a lot of equipment?

“No, just a computer.”

Are you a science/engineering/technology nerd?

“No, I don’t think so, but as technology evolves constantly I do try to keep up-to-date with new technologies. I enjoy the arts, particularly electronic art and film, since my time on the multimedia course.”

Did those subjects give you a buzz at school?

“I always preferred the science, engineering and technology subjects. I found them more interesting.”

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

“I suppose that would have to be going to Brussels for a meeting on the project I’m currently working on. A lot of the important organisations involved in Web accessibility were there.”

Want to find out more?

Check out the e-access lab in DCU
Have a look at the Support-EAM website

Computer science involves the design and architecture of computers, the development of programmes and the effective construction of systems. Computer scientists research, develop and design computer software, hardware, and systems for scientific and technical applications.

What do they do?

Modern computer science is involved in every aspect of industry and business and underpins every aspect of our personal lives. Computing is an exciting and challenging subject of great economic and social importance. Computer scientists work in areas such as artificial intelligence, cryptography, speech technology, web design, computer graphics and software engineering. Computer science is an interdisciplinary subject. It is firmly rooted in engineering and mathematics, with links to linguistics, psychology and other fields. When concerned with hardware design it can overlap with electrical and electronic engineering. The development of circuits made directly on silicon chips gives a link to solid state physics. Formal methods for the construction, analysis and validation of software can, on the other hand, involve much mathematics. Practical computer science is concerned with constructing hardware and software systems: digital electronics, compiler design, programming languages, operating systems, networks and graphics. Theoretical computer science addresses fundamental issues: the notion of computable function, proving the correctness of hardware and software and the theory of communicating systems.

Career opportunities

Computers are to be found everywhere and their role in the world is constantly expanding, making computer science an exciting and rapidly growing area that offers a diverse range of career paths. A degree in computer science opens up many career opportunities in, for example, industry, business, and health care.

Graduates can find themselves working on topics such as aids for the disabled, medical imaging, industrial control; they could be designing graphical interfaces, building video-based information systems, and constructing custom solutions for a wide variety of problems. There are also opportunities to work in exciting emerging new applications in association with areas such as internet applications development, e-commerce, assistive health care for the disabled, systems technology, graphics and games programming.

Graduates find employment as web developers, programmers, computer technicians, network administrators and also in areas such as sales, business applications and software localisation.

There is therefore a demand all over the world for professionals trained in the use of computing software and hardware and the dynamic nature of computing means that there is always potential for designing novel and exciting products and services.

Did you know?

A robotic world

Research in artificial intelligence is aimed at understanding exhibit it. It wasn’t until the development of the electronic computer in 1941 that technology was available to create machine intelligence but now robots already exist that are autonomous: they can learn, communicate and teach other. They can navigate their way around our world and be linked to extremely powerful computers that will give them

Googling

The search engine Google is run on a distributed network of thousands of low-cost computers and can therefore carry out fast parallel processing. Parallel processing is a method of computation in which many calculations can be performed simultaneously, significantly speeding up data processing. Google consists of three distrincts parts :

1. Googlebot, a web crawler that finds and fetches web pages
2. The indexer that sorts every word on every page and stores the resulting index of words in a huge database
3. The query processor, which compares your search query to the index and recommends the documents that it considers most relevant

Download a PDF version of this document (332 KB)

Elaine McGlynn, Project officer in DCU

Career snapshot

Elaine McGlynn is a project officer at the Research Institute for Networks and Communications Engineering (RINCE) at Dublin City University (DCU). She is part of a team working on a number of projects in web accessibility. (“Accessibility” means making web resources usable by people regardless of any disability they may have.)

She has also designed a course on accessibility for staff at DCU. This course introduces accessible document authoring and online resources.

Elaine is from Swords in Co. Dublin and went to school in Loreto College in Balbriggan. Her enjoyment of maths in school led her to study information and communications technology at university.

Degree

• B.A. (Mod) Information and Communications Technology, Trinity College Dublin, 2003.
• M.Sc. in Multimedia Systems, Trinity College Dublin, 2004.

What’s so brilliant about your job?

“I learn something new every day. My job involves a lot of research into web accessibility, which is a vast and very interesting subject. “

What do you like least about your job?

“Fortunately I’m very happy.”

How do you spend typical day?

“My role is so diverse; it’s difficult to describe a typical day. At the moment, I’m running an online accessibility course for academic staff in DCU, which I spent a number of months designing. The course is delivered entirely online.”

“I log into the course every morning and spend a lot of the day reviewing any assignments submitted, adding and updating resources and replying to questions and comments on the course forum. In addition, I spend time researching web accessibility, reviewing websites for accessibility and organising seminars.”

Does your work require a lot of equipment?

“No, just my brain and a computer.”

Are you a science/engineering/technology nerd?

“I’m a bit of a technology nerd. I do spend a lot of time on the Internet outside of work (like most people, I think) and love designing websites. I also love finding out how things work – my current interest being my car, but only because it’s giving me trouble and I’d love to know how to fix it myself.”

Did science/engineering/technology give you a buzz at school?

“Yes, I was a total mathematics nerd in school! I’d spend hours working out complicated math problems. I also loved computer classes which we had every Wednesday.”

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

“My career has only started, but the highlight so far is being introduced to the world of web accessibility, which I really enjoy being a part of.”

Learn more:

Check out RINCE on the Web
Find out about the Web Accessibility Initiative
See the National Disability Authority’s accessibility guidelines

Danny Gleeson, Space technology consultant

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?

I always had a curiosity about how things worked and from the age of 12 onwards, I was determined to do something in science. I remember a trip to the Science Museum and Natural History Museum in London when I was young, and it just blew me away that it was possible to understand and explain how all this stuff in the world actually worked, from a jet engine to a horse.

I studied for and passed O Level Physics at a local adult class in the evenings when I was 14 years old, outside of school, as I was impatient to learn more. It was one of the best decisions I ever made as it confirmed an independent spirit and self reliance that would be there throughout my career.

Physics was a great attraction for me as it provided the language through which I could understand the bits of the world that interested me. Astronomy was and is an area that I am particularly interested in and it was something that could be done in your back garden with very simple equipment and your own two eyes.

I was offered a job in the spacecraft power systems group at British Aerospace Space Systems (BAe) in Stevenage, UK, when I graduated at the age of 20 from Imperial College in London and I met some of the best engineers, scientists and friends during my six years with the company. The experience really taught me that the great science and engineering advancements are made through teamwork and collaboration as well as the hard work and talent of individuals.

I jumped at a chance to go to the US while I was at BAe and had an incredible year at McDonnel Douglas Space Systems in California, working with a great team and rubbing shoulders with people who had worked the key space programmes in history such as Gemini and Apollo.

Before returning to Ireland and finding work in the space industry I worked in Italy on the design studies for the European Space Suit with a fabulous team of engineers in Milan. I then came back to Ireland to work in the business of space science instrumentation and spin off applications of space technology. Again it was the great team of engineers at the company that made it a very special experience.

I took another life changing decision in 1996 to start my own company with the aim of providing technical expertise to Irish companies who were looking to operate seriously in the space technology business.

How did you go about getting your current job?

We set up our business 12 years ago when we decided we wanted more control and responsibility for the work that I could earn a living through in a field I was interested in. The choice of our consultancy business approach was based on some sound advice about sticking to what you do best and enjoy most.

What are the main challenges?

The deadlines for proposal submission are solid objects that work collides against and generates a pressure to deliver, but also a huge reward when delivered on time and more importantly when they are successful.

The biggest challenge for me is to have more than one deadline occurring together but this is also the most satisfying when they all come through.

What’s cool?

Being involved in developing stuff for space projects that I have been fascinated in since I was a child.

What’s not so cool?

Financial stuff, accounts, working on business plans – yawn!

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

I am an experienced professional industrial physicist with broad technical, managerial, strategic and commercial skills.

I get on well with people and I have an endless curiosity about how things work and how solutions to problems are often based on connecting things that would not normally be considered as connected.

I am also a believer in modeling complex problems with simple components and that this approach can be extended into many “non-engineering” or “non-scientific” areas of business.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

I studied physics to the exclusion of almost everything else and while it helped good grades in that subject, I suffered in other subjects such as languages which had to be tackled later in life which I regret, as there is never enough time later on in life.

I went on to study physics, chemistry and maths at A-level and I was determined to study physics at university somewhere and through some recommendations, I chose Imperial College in London.

What is your education to date?

• Secondary School, O Level : Physics, maths, chemistry, biology, electonics, English language, English literature, technical drawing, RE.
• College – A level: Physics, maths, chemistry, physics (special level)
• University: BSc. Hons. Physics (2:1) Imperial College of Science and Technology, London. MSc. Astronomy, Astronautics & Instrumentation, (distinction). University of Hertfordshire.
• Awards: The Sir Arthur Ackland Prize for Excellence in Humanities, Imperial College, 1986. Associate of the Royal College of Science.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

The development of a sustainable business in the space industry with consistent and secure income has been our aim since we started out 12 years ago and we have achieved this now and continue to look for opportunities to expand the space based activities that will provide security for the future.

The development of the Space Industry Skillnet as Europe’s only space industry training network and the recognition from ESA and NASA for this achievement has been very rewarding.

I have been closely involved with the progression of some Irish companies from technology development to participation in space missions and this is an ambition that is being fulfilled with the selection of Irish space technology by Columbus facility managers, to be at the heart of science experiments for the next decade on the space station laboratory.

In addition I’ll be working with Irish companies to build cryogenic fuel tanks for next generation launchers and space planes in Galway – how cool is that!

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

Get qualified in a science or engineering degree, achieve a postgraduate qualification in a specialised area and build up as much experience in the area that you are really interested in and operate at the leading edge with the best people you can find in the best locations in the world.

You need to be independent and self starting, see the bigger picture and help to build the industry that you work in. You will see opportunity where others see problems.

If you want to earn large sums of money then go work in a merchant bank or stock brokers.

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

Work in an environment developing something new in automotive, aerospace, medical etc. Develop your personal area of expertise to a high degree and contribute to a team based, innovative effort.

Understand the innovation process and look outside for contributions and ideas from non-related areas. Try to teach or communicate what you do to other people at every opportunity as it reinforces your skills and reminds you how enthusiastic you are in the subject.

Dr Barbara Fogarty, Advanced marine technology research

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?

In secondary school my career guidance counsellor helped me to identify environmental science and technology as an area I was interested in for future study. We found a relevant degree course in Sligo Institute of Technology and I applied through the CAO.

It was a very interesting degree, with field work and a summer work placement. I also worked in other non-science jobs while I was in college to help pay the rent as I lived away from home.

While I enjoyed my real-world work experience, it highlighted for me that qualifications can give you more career options in life and can also allow you to progress up the career ladder to interesting and well-paid jobs more quickly.

When I finished my degree I applied for a Masters in Environmental Analytical Chemistry in Limerick Institute of Technology.

The subject of the research project sounded very interesting to me and after two years researching the topic, I decided to apply to continue on to do a PhD which in total took four years to complete.

It involved a lot of hard work, many laughs, a few tears and many evenings and weekends working in the lab to get the project finished.

As part of my PhD studies I also got the opportunity to research in the Institute of Technology Tallaght in Dublin for a year and travelled to the University of Kansas for six months to collaborate with an American Group on my research topic.

What did you do after your PhD?

When I finished my PhD, I was invited by the Professor I had worked for in the US to return there to carry out postdoctoral research and was delighted to take up the opportunity.

I had always intended to return home to Ireland, so after three years in the US I started to look for a job in my area of expertise. I applied for a job in Tyndall National Institute in Cork on the development of integrated sensor systems, where I worked for four years.

More recently I was awarded the position of National Coordinator in Advanced Marine Technologies.  My position is funded by the Marine Institute and involves the creation of a multi-disciplinary and industry-orientated group working on information and communication technologies that will be used in marine related sectors.

Ireland has 220 million acres of land under the sea (nine times our land area) and this represents a huge opportunity for us to develop new technologies to manage and develop a wealth of chemical, mineral and biological resources in a sustainable way.

The combination of innovative technologies and our marine resources can be harnessed to help support the Irish economy and create a variety of new jobs across a range of sectors.

Who had the most influence on your career direction?

My parents always encouraged me to do my best and to pursue whatever course I was interested in.  They also encouraged me to make use of all the resources available to me before I made a decision regarding the next step in my career.

That started in school with talking to my teachers and career guidance counsellor, and continued with my lecturers and student career centre in college.

For my PhD, I was very lucky to find a research topic that I enjoyed, but most importantly I was very fortunate to have two supervisors who were always available to guide me and who gave me every opportunity to advance my career.

I have had several good mentors throughout my career who I now consider friends and I still go back to for advice every now and then.

Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?

I work from 9 to 5.30pm but this can vary, depending on what project I am working on at the time. Sometimes I have to work late or work at weekends, so I have to be flexible.

I travel around Ireland a lot, meeting industry people and academic groups working on the development of new technologies.  I travel to Europe and the US every so often to conferences and network meetings and to identify new contacts for Irish researchers and companies to work with.

What are your main tasks and responsibilities?

I meet industrial and academic researchers on a regular basis to understand their technology capabilities and to support them in the development of new projects that will help develop their business and research goals.

Target applications of the technology under development include those in the areas of shipping transport, security and logistics, aquaculture, environmental monitoring, water/resource management, offshore installations and marine renewable energy.

I also monitor the progress of currently funded technology research projects and support researchers across Ireland in their efforts to fund their research ideas by submitting grant applications to national and international funding programmes.

What are the main challenges?

I work in a multi-disciplinary environment. This means that I work with a variety of scientists, engineers, business people and government agencies all working on different kinds of technologies.

The challenge is to understand their technology capabilities, expertise and needs and then to facilitate the development of new collaborative projects in the area of marine and environment related sectors.

Very often we find that we have been trying to explain similar things to each other but in a different way!

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

When selecting my Leaving Cert subjects, I picked the ones I was most interested in. As I studied Physics for the Leaving Cert, I only had one science subject when I got to college.

I felt like I had more work to do in order to catch up with other students who had taken two subjects.  In hindsight I am happy with the choices I made, though, as they got me to where I am today. I think sticking to what you are interested in is generally the best way to go.

What is your education to date?

• Leaving and Junior Certificate
• Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Technology
• Doctorate of Philosophy in Environmental Analytical Chemistry

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

It takes a lot of dedication and commitment to get though a PhD but I really enjoyed it and got a lot from it. I received several awards at conferences for talking about my research, which I am very proud of.

I also applied for and was awarded travel grants to help me pay to attend conferences and present my research. I have some part-time lecturing and demonstration experience.

It is always very satisfying when students understand a new concept thanks to your explanation. I really enjoy helping younger scientists to achieve all they can in their career.

More recently I am working on the development of an innovation cluster, involving industry and academic researchers working on technology development for the marine environment.

The aim of the cluster is to help drive economic growth in the area of smart green technologies, and if successful it will help to create new job opportunities in Ireland across a range of sectors.

What advice would you give to someone considering your particular job?

You would need a degree in science and either a masters or preferably a PhD in science or engineering, with a focus on technology development.

You need to be a good communicator and be able to give technical presentations on a regular basis.  You need to be open to new ideas and be able to work on your own initiative and as part of a team.

Good writing skills are also important, as a key element of my current role includes report and strategy preparation.  You need to be able to multi-task and work on multiple projects at once.

A multi-disciplinary science qualification can open a lot of doors and gives you a wide range of career options.

I could work in industry, in academia, or for the government in a number of different roles. People I went to college with are now working in a wide variety of different jobs.

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

Many kinds of laboratories offer work placements over the summer including academic and government laboratories.  Transition Year students often visit labs and facilities for a week or so, and undergraduate students typically stay for the summer months to see what it would be like to work there.

Placement with a relevant industry would also be great experience to see what is involved.  It is a good way to get a feel for a job and whether or not you would be interested in it. It also shows employers that you have been thinking about what you want to do when you finish school.

With the Government’s recent strategy on the development of the “Smart Green Economy”, there are likely to be an increasing number of jobs for science and engineering graduates in Ireland and around the world.

There are already many successful Irish companies selling technology-enabled products and services all over the world today.

We are also lucky to have many of the top international technology companies based in Ireland who are currently employing thousands of science and engineering graduates.

A qualification in science will give you a variety of career options and open many doors – the rest is up to you!