Name: Ciarán McGuiggan
Role: senior software developer with ESO
I am a senior software developer with ESO who has been working in the industry for over 10 years in fields such as safety documentation software for oil rigs and power plants, a cycling e-commerce website, and now with American healthcare in ESO. I went to Ulster University Jordanstown and completed a Computer Science degree. When I am not working I love to watch films and go to the cinema (restrictions permitting) and try to go to every music gig. I’ve recently bought my first home beside the sea so being able to go for a walk, run or swim so easily has been a game changer.
The questions are as follows:-
What does your typical day look like?
First thing is to get a fresh pot of coffee on, or if im feeling particularly motivated ill go for a walk/run/cycle before work. Then its onto the laptop to start catching up on things. Depending on the day or week, the first thing could be reviewing comments from other developers on your code submissions, getting things organized for a release or just working on tickets. An atypical day is now being back in the office! I aim to get in a couple of days a week, and it really makes a difference to my working week.
What are you currently working on?
Modernising the existing process for sending fire incidents to the state reporting system, NFIRS. Its almost entirely serverless so getting to use lots of new fun technologies within azure.
What inspired you to join this company in particular?
Being able to work in a tech company that helps save people’s lives, and get paid for it.
Did you always want to work in this industry (tech)?
No, I wanted to be a Radiographer but didn’t get the grades. I did a foundation level in Computer Science first before getting onto the honours degree.
What’s your favourite part about your work?
The people are number one. You might spend more time with the people you work than you do with your family, so its important to get on with them! Tech wise at the moment, its automated testing.
What would you say to other people considering a job in this industry (tech)?
There is a tech company and role out there to suit everyone. Find somewhere that matches your passion. The breath of jobs in tech is a lot bigger than what people think (development, testing, business analysis, user experience, reporting etc). Don’t be afraid to try different roles and see what fits.
How do you see this technology impacting on our lives?
Its impacting lives for the better each day. From getting 911 calls to auto record fire incidents, investigating arsons, recording what houses have been given fire alarms and then using that data to monitor the impact to name some examples, and this only on the Fire side of the company. There is all the great work being done for the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) applications too.
Who inspired you to work in this field?
My dad. We had a home computer before anyone else I knew, and even before that he was bringing green screen computers home from work for us to play with. He was a microbiologist, so his interest in computers was passionate. I also maintain he has the largest collection of ComputerActive magazines in the world (he was probably the only person to collect them too).
What do you consider to be the most important tech innovation or development in recent years?
Toss up between mRNA vaccines or The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild.
What tech gadget could you not live without?
My google calendar, although I got a Sonos One speaker recently and it would be hard to give it up now
