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Ratoath College

Ratoath College

Mol an Óige agus Tiocfaidh Sí

Colin Fennessy

Name

Colin Fennessy

Age

25

Class of

2010

LC Points:

455

3rd Level Course:

Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering in Dublin City University
Why did you choose this course? I was unsure what I wanted to do when I left school, both in terms of a college course and job. One thing that I did know was that I was mainly interested in the technical subjects, such as; Construction Studies, DCG, Maths, & Physics. Based on that, I had a look at the different courses that colleges were offering, and the potential careers they would lead too. Engineering is a great background to have as it applies to many industries, not just your stereotypical engineering companies.
How long is/was the course?  4 years. In DCU, no matter what engineering course you select, you do a common first year. This lets you select your main discipline in second year, and in my case, this was Mechanical & Manufacturing. Also when I went to DCU, you could select Common Entry Engineering on the CAO which was actually lower points than some of the specific engineering courses. Keep this in mind if you are struggling to get the points, as everyone ends up doing the common entry.)
Current role / employment:  Senior Engineer – Process Development, Advanced Operations in Stryker Instruments. Stryker are a multinational medical device company, and Stryker Instruments is a division within Stryker that focus on the instrumentation used by healthcare practitioners within the operating room.
Best career achievement to date:  I joined Stryker after college on their R&D Engineering Graduate Program. As part of this program I completed four placements across different engineering areas; Test Lab Engineer, Design Engineer, Advanced Quality Engineer, & Advanced Manufacturing Engineer. During my time as a Design Engineer I designed a surgical blade that is used to cut and shape the bones in the ankle joint, so that an ankle replacement can be implanted into the patient. This surgical blade is currently in use in operating rooms across the globe, and the design is going through the patient process in order to protect the design from Stryker’s competitors.
Have you any advice for our current students?  I know you have probably heard this a million times by now, but don’t panic about the Leaving Cert. Panicking does you no favours, so try stay calm & just do your best. The Leaving Cert isn’t the end of the world, and there are multiply options to get into the course you want. Contacting the colleges directly can be very beneficial as they will list out all your options, some of which aren’t clearly highlighted in the brochure. So just do best, and if it doesn’t go your way, just stay calm and look at all the options you have (because there is load!).
Best memory of Ratoath College:  I’m not sure if it is my favourite, but it is one that will stick with me forever. During first & second year, when we were based in Fairyhouse Racecourse, our warm-up for PE was to do a lap of the racecourse while Mr. O’Hare chased us in his car…