I lost my job in the construction industry in 2009 and I decided to do something new.
I always had an interest in technology so I contacted my local FÁS office and they put me in touch with a guidance counsellor. She was incredibly helpful and she told me about an e-Business course starting in Blessington FETC.
I decided to enrol so I could see if my interest could be turned into a career. The course was brilliant. It gave me a broad overview of the industry and exposed me to programming languages (HTML) and web technologies (Dreamweaver).
I had a great tutor and her in-depth knowledge of the subjects were invaluable. The course notes were very informative and I enjoyed the interactivity of the classes. I asked about what I could do next and she encouraged me to pursue a college degree. So with more help from the guidance counsellor I applied to I.T. Tallaght and I was accepted.
I spent four years there studying for my honours degree in Computing. I learned various programming languages, networking techniques, database technologies, mobile app development and analytics methodologies during the course. After I graduated I joined IBM Ireland and I was a SAN engineer there looking after enterprise level clients’ storage infrastructure. This gave me exposure to the world of data centres and infrastructure monitoring/support.
I really enjoyed my time there but I was more interested in analytics and data which has led me to my current role as a Data Scientist for AIB. Ultimately my decision to enrol in e-Business at the Blessington Centre for Further Education opened up a whole new career for me.
Stephen Begley - Blessington FETC
Turning my Information Technology interest into a fulfilling career
Tales from the Trenches
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