Having a successful and positive seven year career in theIrish Defence Forces, it may seem a little unusual that I am now applying tostudy engineering. I always have had an interest in how things work and since Iwas young, science has been one of my favourite subjects. My interest insciences, particularly physics, has developed throughout the years, and I enjoythe challenge of using scientific and mathematical ideas when solving everydayproblems. The thought of becoming an engineer excites me as I long tohave a career that makes an impact.
The idea of using engineering to improvepeople’s lives is thrilling. When I was younger, my passion was to be part ofthe Irish Defence forces, however, within the last seven years, my passion forengineering was born from a love of working with the engineer corps throughdeployment on united nations missions. Being able to work with a highlyspecialised and skilled unit developed my passion to become an engineer.Determined to achieve my goals I have gone in search of how to develop myselfand gain the skills I need to be able to apply for a level 8 degree inengineering. I decided to apply to UCD to do their access to scienceengineering and agriculture course as I wanted to gain more knowledge inscience and mathematics, and considering I have been out of education for along time, I wanted to equip myself as a mature student with the skills andconfidence required to take the next step to a Third Level course. I wish to study a level 8 degree in electronic engineering,and I wish to move forward and complete a level 9 masters in computerengineering at your University. I feel that have let myself down when I wasyounger by being too immature and not focused enough to study and attain thegrades in my leaving certificate that is needed to gain entry into a level 8degree. Being much more mature and focused on what I want now, my interest andpassion for Science Engineering and Mathematics is developing.
Returning to education has been an exhilarating experience.Although a little apprehensive prior to the start of my course, I am thoroughlyenjoying my studies of science engineering and mathematics at UniversityCollege Dublin. Alongside my studies at University College Dublin, I amcurrently studying an Open University short course entitled “Begin Robotics”through Future Learn, developed by the University Of Reading. I have completeda short course entitled “Electrical Engineering” developed by the University OfBirmingham, and a short course entitled “Planetary Urbanisation” developed byUniversity College Dublin through open university online. I do not mind theworkload, in fact, I enjoy these short courses as I find that they help tobroaden my knowledge in different areas by covering different topics related toengineering which I find very interesting. I am currently gaining workexperience with JV engineering which has given me a real insight into theindustry in which I have also developed skills in using AutoCAD and BIM. Thisexperience has given me a great opportunity to get to know the organisationbetter, and it has given me the chance to both, work and be able to develop myskills working with engineers in a team environment.
I have always been interested in electronics and beinganalytical, I was never satisfied with just using an object. I needed to knowwhat was going on inside it. One of my interest and hobbies are my personalprojects which involve electronics and coding.
I have built many projects usingsmall single board computers such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino, and also usingother open source hardware such as single-board micro-controllers andmicro-controller kits to build a variety of different digital and interactiveobjects. My interests are in technology, and I enjoy designing and working onprojects and being faced with challenges related to them.More recently, I have become increasingly intrigued by thenew wave of technology that is becoming more integrated into our daily lives. Iam particularly interested in nanotechnology and the semiconductor industry andhow it will shape our future. I very much look forward to studying them tocreate a new generation of super-technology. My goal is to be at the forefrontof this technology, developing new solutions and making a real difference.
Almost any technology we take for granted today involvesengineering. Everything from mobile phones to space shuttles, engineeringcertainly has an impact on our daily lives. Increasingly over the last fewyears, I have become drawn to engineering and the wide range of possibilitiesthat studying in this field can offer. Modern technology always intrigues meand I find it fascinating to see how they function, especially with theintricate physics behind them.
I believe that although it is important todetermine how things work, it is perhaps more valuable to understand why theyfail and use it to our advantage to construct better solutions. I aspire tobecome an engineer because I believe that I can make a difference to our lives,by creating solutions for the many problems that surround our world today.