Software development and engineering

Information technology (IT) is an industry that has enjoyed continual growth since its birth. This growth and advancement has meant that employment opportunities within IT are vast for those with the necessary skills and qualifications; unsurprising considering Ireland is now the world’s second largest exporter ofa software programmes according to United Nations International Trade Statistics. One constant complaint is that there is always a greater demand than supply of IT workers. A recent bulletin from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) highlighted that computer systems managers are in short supply and that the need for professionally skilled workers is on the rise.

This is true in particular for Software Development & Engineering, which is crying out for professionals to provide the expertise required to aid the advancement of the field. This area calls for a high quality of specific skills and knowledge in order to develop different kinds of large, complex software systems. A postgraduate qualification will reflect your updated ability to employers and highlight the dedication you have to this profession for which there is high demand for at both a national and international level.

Any postgraduate course will seek to equip participants with knowledge of the theories, processes, methods and techniques of building high quality software cost effectively. Although course content obviously differs depending on the educational institution, typical electives might include Human Computer Interaction, Software Architecture and Quantitative Research. A postgraduate course will not solely concentrate on the programming of computers - it will also assist graduates in adopting the qualities that are necessary for success and progression in employment.

Software developers and engineers are involved at all stages of the invocation of software programmes. You could work specifically on analysing the existing system, new system or investigating the possibility of future technologies. For this reason it is important for entrants to the industry to be innovative as well as highly skilled. Attention to detail is another vital component as is problem solving and logical and analytical skills. Since most of the work is done in teams in preparation for a client presentation, good interpersonal skills are also valued.

The only certainty in this industry is change and so potential entrants must be willing to adapt and evolve in a consistent fashion. In these times of economic hardship the Irish government recognises that supporting research and development is essential to improve the prospects of our future economy. Ireland’s international reputation as a centre for research and development must be fostered and boosted in order to guarantee a return to a successful employment environment. International leading software companies have been attracted to Ireland in the past due to our skilled workforce, so it is an area that the government wish to protect and replenish. This is evident from the development of the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre (LERO). This impressive €7.3 million centre concentrates on five research areas: Globally Distributed Software Development; Mathematics Applied to Software Engineering; Service & Aspect-based Component Architectures; Autonomic Software Systems; and Software Production Lines.

In September of 2008 the Lero Graduate School in Software Engineering (LGSSE) opened its doors to postgraduate students and researchers who are the first to embark upon the four year structured PhD programme that is provided by DCU, TCD, UCD and UL. The course seeks to amalgamate the positive parts of other worldwide postgraduate programmes by involving taught modules in research and practical work as well as technical software engineering modules in addition to the completion of an individual research project.

Great emphasis is placed on the need for innovation in software development and engineering. This is most evident in evaluating the sheer volume of options available to students wishing to partake in research programmes in this area. Studies in NUI Maynooth for example are flourishing in a great number of subjects, including Digital Audio Signal Processing, which encourages a growth towards multi media application. Another possibility is the current project, ongoing at NUI Maynooth, which is seeking to investigate Post Processing Methods in order to improve synthesised speech. Researchers from DIT are presently teaming up with staff at NUI Maynooth with the common goal of creating new methods for the analysis of partial envelopes of music sounds. At UL the areas available for aspiring research students to delve into include Autonomic Soft Systems, Globally Disabled Software Development and Mathematics Applied to Software Engineering. Supervisors with impressive experience in research methods are available to assist students in finding a particular area of interest.

Research opportunities are often available through LERO itself. LERO is currently offering funded PhD Studentships in an effort to strengthen research in the area of Software Product Line (SPL) Engineering. Candidates should have strong interest in Model Driven Software Engineering as well as a Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science, with a specialisation in software engineering or related field. The main objective of this research role will be to improve SPL processes for the effective configuration and derivation of products.

For those who prefer the more traditional method of learning, UL also offers a taught course in Software Engineering on a part time basis (over two years), or full time (one year). Both courses employ the same academic content. Athlone IT provides another popular course - a taught Masters in Software Engineering, while NUI Maynooth includes a MSc in Computer Science (Software Engineering) on its curriculum. Admission is usually restricted to graduates with good honours degrees in Computer Science or a closely related subject.

As the way we access information and entertainment becomes more complex, advanced and interactive, so does the demand for software developers and engineers. Doing a postgrad will teach you how to analyse the needs of your audience and design, test and develop software to meet and satisfy those needs. All while earning you a nice tidy sum and of course, the possibility of messing about with games all day long…