Arpit Khurana, graduate QA engineer at Fenergo, tells us why he chose Ireland as a place to live and work, and how he followed opportunity to Dublin’s tech cluster.
Where are you from?
I am from one of the small villages in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is a really quiet place. The climate varies to extreme limits. In summer, the temperature reaches 50° Celsius and in winter it dips to just around 0° Celsius. The nearest airport is New Delhi, which is 450km away.
How long have you been in Ireland?
I am here since May 2011.
Why did you move here?
I always wanted to go abroad, especially to Europe. I chose Ireland as English is its speaking language and the people are so friendly and approachable. I have absolutely enjoyed my stay here so far and, moreover, Dublin is a hub of tech companies, which offers more of an opportunity for guys like me to progress in their career.
What work do you do?
I am a graduate QA Engineer and I joined Fenergo in September 2014. My role involves writing automation test scripts, execution of regression test suite to ensure the code quality, logging defects to the development team and helping senior testers with performance testing.
How would you describe your working environment?
I’ve received great technical and product training from my colleagues. Everyone within the organisation is very supportive and organised. Each individual is master in his or her own field.
What do you like most about your job?
Our team, in which everyone is so helpful. Also, what I like most about the job is the technical challenge of the positon and how it gives me freedom to explore my skills.
Was it difficult to adjust to living and working in Ireland?
Honestly speaking, no. I actually thought it would be but the Irish people are very friendly and welcoming and Dublin has its good transportation system which makes it easy to get around the places here.
What surprised you about moving to Ireland?
Climate. I am sure each person new to the country feels the same, although my last two summers were Indian summers.
You can witness four different climates in a day here. It rains a bit but it still doesn’t stop the people having fun.
How does your working life help to make you feel at home here?
We go out together for lunch and have a wonderful time. Being located in the city centre gives me an opportunity to try different places. Everyone is approachable, which helps to make me feel at home.
What do you like most about your adopted home?
The weekend life. When the weekend arrives, everyone gets into a party mood and celebrates. It helps to interact with people, which I enjoy the most. And Dublin has everything: mountains, beaches and a vibrant city centre.
