It's about being a logical thinker, says John Masterson, a software engineer at Oracle. "The ability to break down a problem, that's the most important skill in the technical industry," he says. You have to be a clear thinker, he adds. "The ability to handle pressure and also the ability to pick up new skills rather quickly is vital as well because the industry moves so fast."

In his current job as a developer of software at Oracle, "you are constantly reading books and magazines to get a grasp of something new. You need to be interested, otherwise you couldn't do it."

"Any person you see doing well is good at problem solving," he says. The biggest thrill in his job is being able to come up with a solution. "That's very satisfying," he says, especially if it's under pressure, he adds. "You feel like you've saved something."

His current work involves designing, planning, developing and implementing new software features that allows companies "migrate data" from other databases to Oracle.

"We see a lot of customers wanting to move away from other vendors' databases," explains Masterson.

For anyone who is thinking about a career as a software engineer, he points out that there are plenty of opportunities in a multi-national company. Although he has been with Oracle for the past six years since he graduated from NUI Maynooth, there has been no shortage of opportunities. He has changed jobs within the company three times. He has travelled the length and breadth of the US and he's been all over Europe.

There's a lovely mix of people working at the East Wall plant, he says, with up to 300 people based there. "It's a nice environment," he says. There are about 100 people working on his floor, including a telemarketing department which includes Spanish, Italian and French people. His day starts at 10 a.m. and he finishes at 6.30 p.m.

At Rathcoole Community School in Co Dublin, "maths was always a strong subject and the science subjects as well". Also, he says, "I had a strength in English; you need good communication skills in this job". There are many different aspects to the job, he explains. "We phone or go out and explain the software to companies."

He applied to NUI Maynooth in 1989 and after his Leaving Certificate he began the four-year degree programme towards a double honours science degree in computer science and mathematics - with four subjects in first year, three in second year and then a double in the last two years. Computers "was one of my strengths, along with maths," he recalls.

At the time the department in Maynooth was "a fledgling" but today, he says, "it's quite impressive". Looking back he recalls the mix of theory and practical work, which "is very self-motivating". For second-level students who are thinking about this career, he says, "the more effort you put in the more marks you get." He started in his new job with Oracle the day after his exams and he's never looked back.