Talk to the professionals in an online chat
Date: Monday 23 January, 2012
Participants: Niamh Kelly and Bryan Hyland from Hewlett Packard
Niamh Kelly
On Monday 23 January we held a live discussion with HP’s Niamh Kelly (Ink Chemist) and Bryan Hyland (Engineer).
If your question wasn’t answered during our 40 minute segment, please check back and we will try to answer them during the week.
Find out more about Hewlett Packard in Ireland, and view our video with Niamh and Bryan.
Hi folks, Donna here from Smart Futures. Delighted to welcome Niamh and Bryan from HP tonight to talk to you about their experiences working in technology in Ireland, in HP. We’ll try to answer some pre-posted questions from earlier today as well as those you post tonight. Thanks for joining in!
Hi, Niamh and Bryan here from Hewlett Packard, ready to take your career-related questions!
I have been working in HP for the last 4 years as a product development ink chemist. Before HP I studied Science in TCD, specialising in Chemistry. Bryan is a product development engineer and studied Computer Aided Mechanical Enginneering in DCU. In the product development department we are part of a team developing new print cartridges for printers – I develop the ink and Bryan designs the cartridges. Looking forward to answering your questions!
We received a question earlier from Ann, a fifth year student in Tipperary taking the pass Maths course, who is unsure as to where her interest lies. She’s wondering what are her options for getting into a career in technology? First off Ann, it’s probably a good idea for you to look at what you enjoy doing in general. This may be in the area of computing or telecommunications, or may even be in languages, communications or project management which are also all vital skills needed by tech companies in Ireland today. There are some tools available online on careers sites which can help you narrow down your interests using self-assessment tests, for example http://www.careersportal.ie/careerplanning/self_assessment.php – however these are of course just a guide. Tipperary LIT may be closest to you, with a range of IT related courses http://www.lit.ie/SciEngAndIT/InfTec/Courses/default.aspx or you can search similar courses on Bluebrick.ie http://www.bluebrick.ie/SearchResults.aspx?SearchText=&ISCEDBroadCategoryID=4&ISCEDNarrowCategoryID=48&ISCEDDetailedCategoryID=&InstitutionIDs=&CoreDeliveryMethodIDs=&NFQLevels= Or http://www.coursehub.ie for colleges in Tralee, Limerick or Waterford that may also suit you. Be sure to talk to a guidance counsellor as well to help you find the best path for you and think about the subjects you enjoy most.
What is the major difference between a computing degree and a computer science one?
Hi Bridget – thanks for your question. Well, largely speaking, computer science is the theoretical foundations of information and computation and how they are implemented and applied in computer systems. Computer engineering encompasses broad areas of both electrical engineering and computer science. Computer science is more software specific and deals less with hardware than computer engineering. This is not our area of expertise specifically, but a good article can be found here: http://compsci.ca/blog/6-degrees-of-computer-science
What kind of jobs do ye have available? I’m planning on studying Enterprise Computing in the DCU, I already have a bit of background in this area (HTML, CSS, JAVASCRIPT, PHP, MYSQL, LINUX, creating dns zones, setting up cloud servers, creating images of the servers, etc.), but it has all been self thought, so I got no piece of paper that can prove that I can actually do this stuff, yet. Any way, should I be focusing on other stuff, or am I on the right track? What programming language would you consider the best, and why?
Hi Robert! If you are interested in HP jobs you can find them all at this link:
http://www8.hp.com/ie/en/jobsathp/index.html
It is always a good idea to get a good broad base and learn a number of programming languages if possible. If you are working on personal projects it is good to have these referenced on your CV so that you can demonstrate your ability and samples of your work. Look carefully into your course choices and find out if programming is a central part – at least then you will be focused on the area you are most interested in. Programming is not myself and Bryan’s speciality, but if you would like to find out more from HP, please just email smartfutures@forfas.ie with your question and we will try to follow up. Thanks!
In my opinion printers have not really changed much over the past 10 years or so. Why is this and what is HP doing to address it? I am aware of other printing methods such as 3D printing however I truly was expecting the price of say laser jets and ink jets to reduce, or even a breakthrough in how ink is manufactured thus reducing its price.
While I have you why is it ink in say a Bic pen is cheaper than printer ink? Obviously size is a factor.
Hi Shane – thanks for your question. HP is one of the lead technology companies at the forefront of the technology.The printing industry has been expanding over the last 10 years into new applications and markets. Consumer printing is now going through an exciting time with the release of web enabled printers. We are always striving to improve and enhance our customers’ experience. I like your question on how ink in a printer and ink in a pen are different – this is what I do everyday! Printer ink has to be compatible with the whole printer and how the ink is delivered to the page is fundamental to our technology. The ink I design is specialised to work over multiple applications – we use advanced technology to ensure photos last for decades and the ink is reliable over the life of your cartridge.
Lots of questions coming in folks and we’re getting to them as quickly as possible. We’re keeping them stacked up and come to you one at a time, anyone we don’t get to answer tonight we’ll follow up on after the session, so do come back!
Hello, I’m a leaving cert student from Donegal who is intending to study European Business with French in DCU next year, the course covers a lot including Law, Finance, Accounting, Marketing etc. and is structured so that you spend two years studying in Dublin and then the final two years studying in France (1 Year Work Placement), and I’m really interested in business especially management but also have a really strong interest in technology especially the computing side of it and would love to work in a big technology company some day like Apple, but my problem is that I don’t know if I’d better off doing this course (and getting fluency in third language) or doing a course like Electronic Engineering and getting real skills that might make me more hire-able to a big technology company, I think I’m doing the right thing doing this course as I’ve always been more interested in business than technology but what I’d really like to do is manage a big technology company, so I guess what I’m basically asking is would I be better with management/business skills or technological skills that an engineering course might offer? I think I’m probably looking for reassurance more than anything!
Hi Shaun, Bryan here. First and foremost I would really encourage you to choose a subject that you are interested in and passionate about. There is a big need for graduates with language skills in the technology sector. I actually saw this in my own case and I am currently studying French part -time. Lots of CEOs of large technology companies do not come from a purely technical background. Language and business acumen are fundamental to any company.
What do you do on a daily basis?
Hi Paul. Working in R&D means that no one day is ever the same. Our work is really varied – I think this is what makes it so interesting. In a nutshell we are working on a large diverse team (engineers, marketing, finance etc) to develop new technologies and test out our designs to ensure they meet the market needs. Check out our interviews and video on the smart futures web page to find out some more detail. Thanks Paul!
Hi Donna, Niamh and Bryan – I am currently in sixth year and in the process of filling out my CAO application. I have an interest in both engineering theory and designing marketable products (mainly in electronic, computer and mechanical fields) and was wondering to what extent do engineering courses deal with theory or would I be better of studying a subject such as Physics. Also I have been considering applying to both UCD and TCD but have recieved a variety of mixed reports about both of their Electronic Engineering courses, is their any particular reason to pick one over the other?
Thanks
Hi Liam, Bryan Here. Engineering courses have a good balance of theory and design. In my case I had no physics experience from school but in my first year of college we got a good grounding in the fundamentals of physics. See if you can get in contact with a lecturer from both colleges to see which is the best fit for you.
Coming close to wrap up time folks so we’ll take one more question for Niamh and Bryan and then we’ll follow up over the next day or two with responses to any questions that we didn’t get to tonight. Thanks for all the interest!
Is Maths a very important factor in IT, i only do pass Maths so i was wondering if it plays a big role in IT?
Hi Odhran, Maths skills are important in all sectors of the economy not just the tech sector. While some courses require higher maths, others allow you to catch up during third level.
It is great that students choose to do higher level maths and it certainly helps those who are doing technology courses at third level, but it is more important that students show an aptitude for problem solving and critical thinking. So if you have an inquisitive mind and like knowing how things work, you should consider looking at the different types of roles within the sector. Many people who studied Science with me did not do honours Maths, but were at no disadvantage in the course.
Brilliant! Thanks a million to Niamh and Bryan for their time. Sorry to all we didn’t get to in this session but as mentioned..we will answer you over the next few days so do come back!