Dan Muldoon, PwC
Dan Muldoon, cybersecurity consultant, PwC. Image: Connor McKenna

Cybersecurity expert left Jersey for true ‘Goldilocks’ city: Dublin

9 Dec 2016

Starting a job in a new country can be an immense change. Dan Muldoon, a cybersecurity consultant at PwC, tells us how his work keeps him tethered.

Where are you from?

I’m originally from Philadelphia, but came to Ireland from Jersey City, where I was working for PwC New York.

Jersey City is affectionately referred to as the ‘Sixth Borough’ of New York City, given that it is just across the Hudson River and is home to many commuters who work in New York. You can find a number of fantastic bars, restaurants, and pan-NYC culture in Jersey.

How long have you been in Ireland?

I’ve been in Ireland for two years.

What prompted your decision to move here?

I wanted to live abroad for a few years in order to gain international business experience, and life experience in general.

Europe rated highly on my list, given the variety of different cultures living so close to one another. Additionally, I didn’t trust my ability to speak a second language in a business context, so Dublin was a perfect fit.

What’s your role within PwC?

I am a manager on the cybersecurity consulting team. On a day to day basis, I work with my clients to help them build an effective cybersecurity programme and the associated capabilities.

Sometimes this involves helping my clients brief their senior management team or board regarding cyber threats targeting their organisation, and sometimes this involves helping clients investigate a cyber incident.

How would you describe your working environment?

Dynamic!

Cybersecurity is a constantly evolving field and literally changes overnight due to the transient nature of technology and associated threats. Consulting requires you to work across a range of clients, locations and projects, with challenging deadlines and client expectations.

Marry the two together and you never have a dull day!

What do you like most about your job?

When I joined PwC out of college, someone said to me, “Consulting is like drinking from a fire hose”. I like the breadth and depth of experience I have gained in consulting due to my exposure to a range of companies and industries.

Was it difficult to adjust to living and working in Ireland?

Going from the US to Ireland is not too much of a culture shock, so the adjustment was very manageable. From a living perspective, the US has a 24/7/365 consumer culture everywhere, so when first moving to Ireland, I had to learn that some shops close at a reasonable hour.

What surprised you about moving to Ireland?

I was surprised in many ways when I first arrived in Ireland. I was surprised by the variety of accents for a small country. If you previously put me in a room with someone from Donegal and someone from Cork, I would’ve guessed that they were from different countries – although, they may have also agreed with that assessment!

How does your working life help to make you feel at home here?

Given that I am working for the same company, work is very much the throughline in my transition from the US to Ireland.

What do you like most about your adopted home?

There’s a lot to love about Dublin, so it is hard to pick just one feature. If I had to summarise what I like most, I think it is that Dublin is the ‘Goldilocks’ of city sizes. It is not so big and densely populated that it is difficult to traverse for commuting or a night out, and it is not so small that you are constrained to only a few restaurants, bars and cultural outlets.

Probably a simpler answer would be the number of pubs!

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