S&E from Campus to Career: Callum Lynch - OSS Software Engineer at Eir

My name is Callum Lynch I’m a Software Engineer from Cork.  I started at UL in 2019 with the Common Entry Computer Science Course. I selected the Game Development pathway in my second year which aligned with my passion for design. I applied to UL as they offered a course that interested me, while moving to Limerick allowed me to live independently.

Why did you choose to study the BSc in Computer Games Development?

Game development captured my interest after playing games such as ‘Journey’ and ‘Life is Strange’. These games made such an impact on me that I became fascinated with the concept of developing similar immersive experiences.

What is your Favourite Computer Game and Why?

My favourite game must be Celeste because of how many different areas of game development it perfects. Celeste is an indie platformer about a young girl who needs to climb a mountain to conquer her fears. The controls stand out as the gold standard in the platforming genre. Each level introduces a new mechanic to keep the player engaged. The story is emotional dealing with topics like anxiety, depression and self-doubt. The music composed by Lena Raine has one of the most beautifully written scores in all of media. It all combines into a perfect package which I have replayed at least five times from start to finish.

What did you enjoy most about the course?

I found the course to be a perfect blend of challenge and creativity. Modules such as Game Modelling Design, VR and AR Development, Advanced Programming Concepts and Practices, and the Final Year Project allowed me to explore various software tools like Unity, Maya, and Android Studio.

The highlight of the course for me was working on the final-year project. It allowed me to fully explore what I wanted to do creatively putting to use the experience I had gained throughout the course. I designed a first-person puzzle game based on the works of M.C Escher and other famous optical illusions in art and media. I developed the game in Unity which is a very versatile game engine and is quite enjoyable to work with.

I developed my skills over four years and was able to make a project that had my complete enthusiasm which led to a final product which I am immensely proud of. You can watch the trailer for the game I developed here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-fbTAlJ88w

What did you enjoy about UL during your time here?

The facilities at UL are great but I think the Glucksman Library is a very impressive building and a great place to study. I was a member of the Game Development Society where we organised weekly talks on game design, analysis of individual games and a yearly game jam. 

Where did you go on your Co-Operative Education Placement?

For my Co-Op I worked at Abby Capital, an investment management fund in Dublin City. There I developed python parsing scripts to standardize client’s data to the company standards. I gained experience in key areas of software development such as data mining, unit testing and scripting. This experience strengthened my technical and collaborative abilities in the developer environment.

You are not currently working in Computer Games Development - How have you been able to apply what you learned in your degree in your current role?

 I’m currently employed by Eir as a software engineer. As part of the Operations Support Systems team, I provide support for existing software that other Eir employees use throughout the business to do their job.  I also work on transformation projects to upgrade existing legacy software to meet evolving business needs.

The Game Development course covers all the areas you need to get started as a software engineer as well as a game developer. You get to cover multiple languages such as Java, C#, C++, python, SQL, Golang and Lua. The course covers a wide variety of core concepts in computer science such as object-oriented programming, Data mining, algorithms and AI. This variety allows for a wide range of topics and allows for the opportunity to find areas which you can specialise in and get good at. I developed an interest in data mining throughout college and co-op. I’ve applied this enthusiasm for data mining to help contribute to the redesign of applications that I am working on at Eir.

What advice would you give to people completing their leaving certificate this year?

My advice to anyone thinking about university is to pick a course based on what genuinely interests you. If you care about the work you’re doing, you’ll enjoy the process no matter how hard the work is.