Alexandra McDermott, MSc in design innovation, Maynooth University
I returned to university as a mature student. I wanted to grow my career from research and development and innovation management in the food industry, to further my qualifications and gain a broader innovation focus.
The MSc in Design Innovation at Maynooth University was ideal, emphasising human-centred design. This program helped me understand consumer needs and develop strategic solutions.
I had a number of years working in the food industry developing products, gaining valuable experience across various companies. Not only did it provide me with a solid foundation for my studies; it also enriched my perspective on innovation, product development, working on cross-functional projects and bringing ideas from concept to commercialisation.
Living in Westmeath, avoiding heavy traffic and long commutes were significant considerations, but studying the course in person was essential to connect with lecturers and peers from diverse backgrounds.
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The course balanced in-person contact days at the university with collaborative project work, and the part-time option over two years was great, as it allowed me to continue working while I did the course.
Having previously completed a degree in food science, I found the two courses complemented each other, providing a rounded view of innovation. Both disciplines require a deep understanding of the processes necessary to bring ideas to life and an understanding of end users.
While food science focuses on tangible aspects like ingredients and nutrition, design innovation emphasises insight, user experience and strategic thinking.
The postgraduate course provided opportunities to explore diverse topics, work on industry-led projects and collaborate on team projects while learning new skills. The human-centred design approach included learning new skills such as design thinking, ethnographic research, insight generation, prototype development and user-testing through practical applications.
This hands-on experience was invaluable, particularly when I and two others won the RSA Student Design Awards for our concept, MakeCents. This was a job-sharing service for mothers, providing opportunities that make it easier for them to stay in the workplace.
In my role as a service designer at Glanbia, a global nutrition company, I have combined my experience with the knowledge, skills, and tools gained from the course.
They have enabled me to embed human-centred design principles into the business, combining customer and consumer needs and insights, business goals, and digital innovations to create user experiences. It has given me the confidence to tackle complex problems using design thinking principles. This course has enabled me to bridge my scientific background with creative problem-solving to drive innovation in the business. It has been invaluable for my career.
Nathan Cruz Coulson, MSc in data science, University of London and microcredit in low carbon power technology at Trinity College
I took a gap year before finishing my undergrad where I explored entrepreneurship. I started a social enterprise and fashion brand in London and then interned at a tech start-up accelerator, an experience that set me on the path of working for start-ups.
I lived in India for six months after graduating, volunteering for a social entrepreneurship incubator.
I then got a job as a project manager at an education technology start-up in London. After this, I worked for one more start-up in the data visualisation space (in a sales and marketing role) before deciding to do the data science master’s.
I did my undergraduate degree in economics and politics, and so there was only a loose connection – econometrics – with my postgraduate.
My postgraduate in data science, as well as my continuous professional course, related to a career choice of sorts.
In 2019-2020 I wanted to get a foundation for working in technical roles such as software engineering, data science and artificial intelligence, and so I chose a “conversion masters” – a course designed to help professionals transition to a career in computer science or data science if they hadn’t studied a related topic at undergraduate level.
In 2023, the career change I had in mind was less drastic: I wanted to stay in technical roles but increase my “domain knowledge” in a specific area I was interested in – sustainability and energy – which could allow me to qualify for data science roles in, for example, the energy sector.
The low carbon power technology course was great for me because I didn’t have an engineering background.
The microcredential format meant that I was able to jump into an area that I had no background in but the teaching, support, and prestart guidance enabled me to learn effectively.
I would recommend a microcredential to anyone who has a deep interest in a topic but feels that they might not have the specific background to start learning about it – yes, you will need to learn some fundamentals but it wasn’t too much of a barrier.
In September 2022, I cofounded Bold Donut with Kate Willams. We applied for support to Enterprise Ireland and, since then, our company has grown to help organisations engage and educate their audience on key sustainable energy topics like demand flexibility and the relative energy intensity of common household activities.
Our innovative solution harnesses the proven engagement power of digital games as a fun and effective means of communicating key messages and triggering active learning.
Gavin Holmes, MA in human resource management, National College of Ireland
I studied business at the National College of Ireland (NCI). I chose NCI because I felt that it could be harder to fit in and get to know people in a bigger college and, with smaller classes at NCI, there would be more support.
I worked in retail at theatres both during and after this course, slowly moving up the ranks. I loved theatre and hospitality, and they kept me on for six months during Covid but, eventually, no bums on seats meant no revenue, and I was let go.
I wanted to get on the property ladder, but I knew that this wasn’t possible in hospitality. So I went to a career guidance expert. I was initially reluctant to go for a master’s because I thought that my dyslexia could be a barrier, especially when it came to writing a thesis. But together, we came to the conclusion that human resources would be a good career for me.
There was a deal on postgraduate courses at NCI and, combined with my undergraduate experience at NCI, I took it as a sign that I should study there again. There was a good crew on the MA in human resource management (one year, full time) and I have kept in touch with them – particularly useful as I now work in recruitment and a lot of my contacts from the NCI postgraduate.
I think it helped me to have a gap between my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. I wouldn’t have been ready to go straight into a master’s course – I needed that time to figure it out.
The course itself was really good, the lecturers were on the ball and they had real-life experience outside academia. It was really practical and not too theory-focused, with a hybrid mix of in-person and remote learning.
And I didn’t need to worry about my dyslexia: the support team at NCI were phenomenal, providing so much help with assignments and IT.
