In the latest instalment of our Alumni Spotlight series, we speak to Cian Woods, graduate of Computer Games Development from UL’s Department of Computer Science and Information Systems.
Cian now works as Lead Hardware-in-loop (HIL) Test Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover in Shannon, Co Clare.
Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
I grew up in Parteen, County Clare and attended St Munchin’s College in Limerick. I studied Computer Games Development at UL and graduated in 2016. I now live in Castletroy, which is great, being close to the campus for walking my dog on the weekends. I played rugby up until I graduated from college and still enjoy watching matches with my father. Outside of that, I enjoy golf and watching motorsport.
What did you enjoy most about studying Computer Games Development at UL?
I have always been into computers and playing video games, this course was the best of both worlds for gaining a deep understanding of how computers worked and how to write applications for computers across multiple different programming languages, as well as learning how video games are developed from both a graphical and logical point of view.
Can you tell me about your Co-Op experience and work placement and final year project?
My Co-Op placement was in Intel in Shannon. During my placement, I worked on components of open source graphical libraries. My time during my placement was invaluable for setting up my career as a graduate. I learned a lot of technical skills that I carry through to today, but for me, the soft skills learned with respect to working in and navigating a massive corporation like Intel was something that could never have been achieved through coursework alone.
My final year project (FYP) was titled “Development of a subsumption architecture for an autonomous quadcopter”. I always got a lot of satisfaction from writing software that interacted with / controlled physical objects. For my FYP, I wrote software that could autonomously control a quadcopter (drone). Using cameras and other sensors, the application autonomously controlled a quadcopter, allowing it to execute various manoeuvres without human input.
Were you a member of any clubs and societies?
During my time at UL, I joined the Kayak club. The club went on frequent trips, which was a great way to get to know other people. At the time, they also did training sessions in the UL Arena 50m swimming pool, which was a great way for people new to the sport to learn how to kayak in a calm environment before going out onto any rivers.
How did UL support you throughout your studies?
UL and the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems (CSIS) provide ample support centres for students who require them. I extensively used the maths drop-in sessions as well as computer science-specific drop-in sessions provided by CSIS. These sessions were a massive support when I found the content of my modules difficult to grasp.
My FYP supervisor, JJ Collins, was a huge help during my final year, providing guidance on everything from my requirements, implementation and report.
Tell us about your own career journey so far.
Starting out my career, I went back to Intel where I worked on packet processing software for Intel’s network cards. From there, I moved to Jaguar Land Rover where I worked primarily on software that handled data from vehicles. I then went to General Motors where I worked on analytics software for live data sent from GM’s vehicles. Finally, I am back at Jaguar Land Rover working on software and hardware for robotics applications.
What are your hopes and plans for the future?
In my current role, I am working with autonomous human centric robots. The market for these robots is still in its relative infancy and will continue to grow as there is more demand for automated solutions. My goal is to continue to work in this field and work with the latest cutting edge robotic products that are released.
What advice would you offer to students considering studying Computer Games Development at third level, and what career pathways can they expect?
I think a common misconception for students who start Computer Games development is that they would play computer games as part of the course. In reality, only a very small fraction of the time is spent playing computer games of any kind. The course is focused on how to become a software engineer with the added knowledge of programming various aspects of computer games. The course is very intensive, but if you have an interest in writing software it is a very enjoyable and rewarding course.
In terms of career pathways, I think computer games development is one of few courses that can open doors to being a software engineer in almost any industry that employs software engineers. Personally I ended up in big data, automotive and robotics roles. Classmates of mine have gone on to careers in Fintech, web development, as well as computer games development.