Exploring Dublin’s Tech Scene with Andreea

For Andreea, her first year in Ireland has been all about exploration. She’s gotten to know her new home city of Dublin, kicked back in some of the west coast’s best surfing spots, and forged a satisfying new career in one of Europe’s tech capitals. Offered a job with Microsoft while studying in Germany and intrigued by the chance to try something different, Andreea bid her family in Romania goodbye and moved to Dublin 12 months ago. She was instantly impressed by the city and made friends quickly. She explains: “I think Dublin is a very nice and vibrant city and diverse from a cultural point of view. I have a group of close friends from work and together we go out on the weekends and sometimes go for weekend trips.”

The Move Over

Andreea credits her employer with making her move over relatively stress-free. She explains: “I had a pretty smooth experience when moving here. I found people were nice and ready to help. I had lots of support from Microsoft.” One thing she wishes she had known about, however, was finding accommodation. She notes: “Accommodation is one of those things that is difficult to find remotely, I only wish I knew more about the websites people use here to find rental accommodation before I arrived.” The wealth of jobs available in Ireland’s booming tech industry continues to impress Andreea. “There are many roles available for those working in the technology sector – especially in sales and marketing, which are areas you might not immediately associate with I.T.,” she explains. “That’s one of the great things about working at Microsoft – all areas of the company have a presence here so there is a real variety in terms of the role available.”

Living in Dublin

Dublin’s small size makes it easy to get around on foot which is just one of the things Andreea loves about her new home. “I am a true fan of walking. And Dublin is a nice city to walk around. I really like exploring a different street or place every weekend,” she explains. As much as she likes to explore the city, she also loves that Ireland’s compact nature allows her to see the rest of the country on her time off. She explains: “From a work-life balance perspective, it’s very easy to get most places in Ireland in half a day’s drive, so you can travel off to relax for a weekend.” In her view, Ireland is a satisfying combination of the unusual and familiar. She says: “Ireland is different from the rest of Europe. Culturally, it seems like a mixture of Europe and the States to me.” And it certainly doesn’t lack for home comforts. Andreea is able to live much the same lifestyle as she did before she moved here. “I love the fact that I can do exactly the same day-to-day things that I would usually do in my home country – read a magazine or book, watch TV – and not struggle to understand the language,” she adds.

Working in Dublin

Andreea has been impressed by the city’s busy tech scene since she moved here and enjoys being surrounded by so many like-minded people. “I feel there’s a high level of innovation around Dublin since there are so many fantastic technology companies – big and small,” she says. “It’s great to be surrounded by people who speak and understand tech. Everyone is very self-motivated and open minded, and the focus is on coming up with great ideas and collaborating to make them a reality.” She also enjoys the global makeup of Ireland’s tech scene, which makes her workplace a truly international place to build a career. “Microsoft is a very diverse workplace,” she explains, “We have a lot of nationalities in the Dublin office, so I work closely with people from other countries.”

Advice for Moving to Ireland

Andreea didn’t do a lot of research before moving to Ireland, she admits. “I like being surprised. I simply browsed through a Moving to Dublin guide.” But she does have one crucial piece of advice for anyone considering the move: “Bring a rain and wind proof jacket!”

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