Channel Mechanics delights today in announcing the appointment of Karen O’Connor. Karen joins the team in the position of Sr. Software Engineer Squad Leader.
Karen’s career in software engineering kickstarted in 1998, following the completion of her Leaving Certificate. After some deliberation about what direction she wanted to take with her next steps in education, she decided to apply for computer-based courses. Subsequently, she was accepted to the Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering in the ATU Castlebar campus (formerly GMIT). It proved to be the right choice for Karen, graduating in 2002. Following this, she then completed a Higher Diploma in Software Design and Development at the University of Galway, graduating in 2003.
Not long after graduating from the University of Galway, the technology industry was in the middle of the dot.com crash, which proved finding her first IT job to be quite elusive. In light of this, Karen decided to continue her education, applying for a Master’s at The Institute of Technology, Tralee. However, one week before she was due to start the Masters, a role came up within a company in Kenmare, Co.Kerry called CNG Travel, and with that, she took her first step onto the career ladder. Here, she worked as a Graduate Software Developer, developing the company’s hotel search engine using NET 1.1 and C# 2.
After a year in that role, Karen returned to Galway in 2005 where she assumed the role of Junior Software Engineer with Storm Technology. Here, she worked with Storm for 18 years, where she was involved in multiple projects using several different technologies for various companies such as Avaya, Medtronic, Tusla, and of course, Channel Mechanics. She thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with Channel Mechanics, so when the opportunity came to join the team full-time, she jumped at the chance, confident it would be the next best step in her career.
In her spare time, Karen has a passion for painting using acrylics, chalk, and oil pastels. Her most recent paintings are predominantly landscapes, but she also enjoys painting animals and marine life. She also enjoys yoga as well as spending time with her three sons.
Speaking about the appointment to her new role:
“I am very happy to be joining the Channel Mechanic’s team as a Senior Software Engineer – Squad Leader. I look forward to getting to grips with my new role and continuing to gain knowledge and experience. It’s great to be able to continue to work with the team here. It’s exciting to be a part of a company that is going from strength to strength.”
– Karen O’Connor
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