Head of Devops at Fidelity
County Dublin
One-On-One with Vineet
Could you tell us a bit more about yourself, your job and how long you’ve lived in County Dublin?
I am originally from India and moved to Dublin, Ireland about 5 years ago . I am a software engineer with a focus on Distributed Systems and Developer Experience in the DevOps space. In my current role I am Leading DevOps practices at Fidelity. Prior to that I worked with Expedia, MasterCard, AdaptiveMobile etc in various capacities. Outside of work we are a small family here with a 3 year old boy and my wife is working for Citibank in the Cybersecurity Team. I really love meeting new people and trying to learn more about them.
What attracted you to living and working in Dublin ?
I really believe that Dublin was destined for me. I was working in Dubai when my wife decided to sit for IELTS and got into Trinity college for her MBA. Almost a month later I also got an opportunity to work in Dublin. We came here in June 2017 and since then I have been working here. I was fortunate enough to be hired for an Irish headquartered firm who was into telecom firewalls and they were very lovely people. I always felt Dublin was a home away from home.
Can you walk us through a day in the life of living in Dublin?
Mornings can be a bit of a busy as baby has to eat a small breakfast and then I have to drop him to creche before work and then it’s the time for working from home, usual standup meetings etc. After that it’s nice as we both work remote from home so usually get a time to spend time together and take a walk sometimes for lunch. After work when my kid is back I get to enjoy time with him, play around with him and teach some stuff and it’s great. Remote working allows me to save so much time and I’m not mentally tired of the weekdays vs waiting on weekends. I think that’s huge.
How would you describe transport within Dublin ? Is it easy to get around ?
I have been relying on public transport in Dublin for almost all of our time here. I don’t drive at all here. We used to take the Luas Red Line and I just can’t imagine going to offices there. It was horrible and so time consuming. I used to live in Collins Square (Museum Luas Stop) and the commute to Abbey street was only 4 stops and it’s worst on weekdays. Now all of that is gone and we get to spend that time doing some exercise at home and morning times , nothing is better than that. Personally I just take the Dublin Bus or my bike to get around the city or Dart when I have to visit the county. But I enjoy my time.
How fast/reliable is your home internet connection ?
I use Virgin Media and I’m close to the city centre so I have a connection that offers me around 1Gbps Download speed. Overall I am satisfied with this connection.
Can you tell us about some of your favourite locations or attractions within Dublin ?
I have only been to a few places outside of Dublin but I really love Galway and the Cliffs of Moher walking trail. Favourite areas closer to home include Howth, the beach in Malahide and trips to Dun Laoghaire. But I really want to see more counties and we’re looking forward to having some holidays in summer to spend more time with my family and friends.
What advice do you have for individuals or families interested in relocating to Dublin ?
I really feel that people who are coming to Dublin should explore as many areas as they can within the first 2 years. Dublin is rapidly expanding and now one of the most expensive places in Europe to live in. Therefore you need to choose housing, nearby amenities and communities you enjoy. I think if you have that sorted the place is a gem. For families I can’t stress enough to set these things up much sooner than individuals as they need to figure out the kids’ creche, school, medical and essential stuff. Even after 4.8 years I haven’t been able to find a good county location. I want to buy a house under my budget. That’s the biggest challenge we are facing at the moment. Hence exploring early and building a community to live daily life with will be a huge win.
Thank you very much Vineet for taking the time to talk with us and thank you for representing Co. Dublin as a Rural Ireland Tech Advocate.
Rural Ireland Tech Advocates 