College of Informatics and Electronics
John Holland
BTech
The Cooperative Education programme was instrumental in John Holland's decision to pursue a degree in Information Technology at UL. Furthermore, the broad range of subjects covered by the course was ideal for John, providing insight into the potential of IT as a career. John spent his eight-month CoOp placement with Symantec in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin. As Assistant Quality Assurance Engineer, he liaised with the Quality Assurance Team in the US ensuring that any difficulties that arose in the software were tested and repaired.
John's Cooperative Education experience proved to be an effective launching pad for a career as a Software Engineer with Symantec. In this role, John has responsibility for the localisation of software products. The localisation group, based in Dublin, is responsible for the translation of Symantec's products into thirteen languages, and the shipment of products to worldwide markets. Localisation involves the adaptation of software packages for use in non-English speaking markets throughout the world. During the localisation process, John rebuilds the project using translations, corrects any identified bugs, and develops a clean language version of the software. He is also responsible for the quality of all materials produced and shipped in the form of the newly-translated software. In terms of his future career, John is aware that his options are wide open because of the ever-growing opportunities in this dynamic industry.
"Going to a college that has CoOp placement is probably best. If you have the same degree as someone else but have eight months work experience you have a big advantage over the other candidate".