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Mara Kelly

Throughout school I was always interested in mathematics, science and technology. As IT is the fastest growing field globally, I knew that a BSc. in Computer Systems would interest me and also enable me to find work in any part of the world.

A typical day for me involves discussing new projects with clients and co-workers, in order to gather requirements and design technical plans for how any new changes will be developed, tested and deployed. I am also working on development projects in C#. Dell has been great for starting my career, as we are not pigeon-holed into one role or set of tasks. There is a huge diversity of roles across IT in areas such as development, analysis, human resources and release management, so do not think that in order to go in to IT you must be one type of person with a certain skill set! If you are interested in technology and the way things work, you can find a place in IT.

The BSc. in Computer Systems at UL gave me the technical skills to be able to understand and develop software, test plans, and requirements documents. I have also learned skills which could be applied to anything I may decide to do in the future, such as attention to detail and the ability to be a highly analytic critical thinker.

Any advice for school leavers? It sounds clichéd, but make sure you chose something you are truly interested in! A lot of people seem to be scared into choosing a course they may not love, because it is a “guaranteed” job. You should think about how you can become successful in the thing you love, rather than choosing a degree that you think will make you successful.

Mara currently works as a Software Development Analyst with Dell EMC Technologies

Shane Craven

I have always been interested in how computers work and from a young age knew I wanted to follow a career path in software engineering. When I was researching what computing course to choose I was drawn to Computer Systems at UL mainly due to the Co-Op placement but also the modules on offer. Having the opportunity to get hands-on experience in industry for 8 months was the deciding factor for me.

This course will provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to gain competency in the software engineering profession. There is a heavy focus on programming, as well as developing applications in mobile and web environments.

For my Co-Op placement, I worked in Amazon Web Services in Dublin which is the largest cloud computing platform in the world, powering some of the most popular websites and services available. I was based in the CloudFront Content Delivery Network team, creating an internal system that kept the service healthy and automated repairs when an issue was detected.

Throughout my placement, I got to greatly expand my knowledge of programming languages and technologies, gained invaluable practical experience in the industry and also developed a deeper understanding of how distributed systems function on a worldwide scale. When approaching potential employers at graduation, having Amazon Web Services on my CV will be a major selling point.

Malvina Walsh

Since childhood, I was always very inquisitive and loved to learn about how things work. This interest drove me to be a good problem solver and lateral thinker. At secondary school I was stuck for direction but ultimately decided that the IT road appeared to provide lots of options after college ? turns out I was right!

I started my career after UL as a Test Engineer, then moved on to various other roles. This experience was invaluable and provided me with a strong business acumen in addition to my technical skill set, which eventually led me to a fantastic career at Dell.

I work as part of a team of technical specialists. My main focus is to engage with customers and help to identify solutions for their business needs. It's a fast-paced exciting role which is always at the cutting edge of technology.

IT is a great choice for people from all backgrounds. Whatever your personality you will ultimately find that there is a niche for you. There are opportunities to work in all industries and anywhere in the world. Don't forget you need to sell yourself, so big-up your experiences to future employers. Don't be afraid to be different or to go for something that seems difficult at first. With a company like Dell, you will learn from motivated enthusiastic people. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Malvina is currently employed as an Internal Enterprise Consultant with Dell Ireland.