Maria O'Callaghan, Technical manager

I manage three ATSS projects for the same US-based customer. We're working on software for a central mobile telephone exchange. Typically, projects last from six months to a year. The project manager is the point of contact with the customer, although the team also has technical contact.

Team members all have weekly targets and I produce status reports for the customer showing what we have achieved this week and what we expect to achieve next week. I also look at the project's forward planning and ensure that tests on the project are carried out and that quality levels are achieved.

I've been with Euristix for seven years. I started as a software engineer. When I joined there were only nine of us here. At school I was turned off computers. I started out doing science at university and got interested in computers only in first year in UCD. Before coming here I worked with a telecommunications company in England for two years.

If you show initiative you can do well very quickly. Everyone contributes from day one - you don't sit about. I particularly enjoy the variety of the job. No two days are the same. Every project and every customer is different. The technical apsects of the job are fascinating. There's so much to learn.