Cian McConville

I have been with First Derivative for over 3 years now, and I work within the Application Managed Services practice as an Application Support Analyst. I have been working as part of the Calypso Support team at a leading Global Bank. I have a keen interest in all things finance and technology, so it’s good that my work life reflects that. In my spare time I play Gaelic football for Armagh which I would describe as a second full time job. I watch plenty of sport also and enjoy sitting in expensive saunas when I get the chance.

It can be tricky to manage at times, as most evenings I am closing the laptop to rush out the door to training. My availability for weekend work also wouldn’t be great! The most important thing for me is that I have great support networks both at home and with my work colleagues. The Calypso Support team have been very supportive of me, particularly Ger who also understands the demands of playing intercounty football. That said, I enjoy being busy and find that I am still able to manage all aspects of my life effectively.

Playing sport has had a huge influence on my approach to work and life in general. Lots of important skills like resilience, communication and attention to detail have been developed throughout my sporting career, and I am able to apply these skills to my work as well. There is so much that you learn that is transferrable.

I had an unusual enough path, as my background was in education with a primary teaching degree. I probably didn’t see myself working in the classroom every day, so I had thoughts of making a career change. I have always had an interest in finance and technology, so FD seemed like the ideal place to make that jump. I made use of the Assured Skills academy set up by FD with the Department for Economy, and after learning the foundational skills, I was able to interview and get a job in the company. I can happily say I haven’t looked back since.

My journey has been pretty straightforward so far as I’m still working on my first client project with the leading Global Bank. However with experience gained I have found that my role is always changing and the scope is always expanding. Initially my role was focused on what we would describe as business as usual (BAU) tasks and day to day operations. As I have grown and developed, I now find myself picking up complex tasks such as reporting configuration, accounting issues and data flow discrepancies to name a few recent examples. I do enjoy a new challenge, and I have been able to learn a lot about the different business areas in the banks treasury across finance, risk, front office and back office.

The cliché of becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable comes to mind. In terms of performance, I see it as coming down to an accumulation of reps, and then just letting the mind and body take over and carry out whatever task needs done. Experience is highly valuable for dealing with pressure, having the ability to know what the right move is in the pressure moments, both in sport and work.

One of my main milestones so far would have to be graduating from the Graduate Options Programme. It’s good to be able to look back at my first day in the Assured Skills academy, essentially starting from zero, and to see the progression of knowledge and skills to be able to graduate. It’s been a rewarding journey to get where I am today.

I wasn’t always good at asking for help so I would say put yourself out there, and don’t let fear of failure hold you back.