It might seem strange to think about now, but if you were a teenager growing up in the 1980s, chances are you would have had to consider emigrating to the United States to seek your fortune.

Faced with few job prospects and mass unemployment, many young Irish people left their families behind and sought a new life.

But the past decade of significant economic growth has not stopped thousands of Irish people from deciding to live and work in the US. Many end up in New York. So what is it like working there as a young Irish businessperson in 2004?

Susan Morrissey (26) has been living and working for BNP Paribas bank in New York for just over two years.

A graduate of Commerce and French in UCD, after spending time working for BNP Paribas in Paris, she was given the opportunity to transfer to New York.

Being offered the chance to work in New York was exciting, she says. But the prospect of living there also appealed to her.

"It was fantastic to come to New York. From a personal point of view it's a fantastic place to live. It's very dynamic and cosmopolitan with loads of bars, cinemas and restaurants," she says.

Ms Morrissey works as an associate with the bank, which translates here as an analyst. Her duties include meeting clients, going to analyst meetings and writing up credit proposals, as well as liaising with BNP Paribas's head office in Paris.

"It has its good and bad points. For example, you're expected to pull out all the stops to meet clients, sometimes including weekends," she says. "But there are plenty of compensations as well." Many Irish people are put off seeking work in the US because of the increasingly tough visa laws.

But Ms Morrisey, having already worked for BNP Paribas, was fortunate to transfer to the USA without too much difficulty.

However, she admits that others, particularly in the IT and banking sectors, do not always find it so easy.

"I would say there are plenty of opportunities over here for Irish people. We do have a good reputation for working hard," she says. "But there can be a real problem with visas for some people."

Orla Maguire-Moore, however, was lucky enough to arrive in New York with a green card. This meant she was able to start work as soon as she arrived.

Ms Maguire-Moore, (32) who graduated from NCAD with a degree in fashion design, is originally from Clones, Co Monaghan. She first started working as a fashion stylist in Dublin, before arriving in New York nine years ago.

Her first port of call was to contact agencies representing stylists, and generate work with them. Having built up her contacts, which she says is crucial in the fashion industry, she eventually landed a job as sittings editor - the person in charge of photoshoots - for the prestigious Cosmopolitan magazine.

"Even though I did a degree in fashion, I always knew I wanted to work in photoshoots. I was intrigued by what makes an image great," she says.

"This can include getting the right lighting, hair, location and make-up." Ms Maguire-Moore decided to leave her job in August and now freelances as a stylist while also working as a consultant to a new high-end women's fashion line.

While this is a "nice change", she says adjusting to the life of a freelancer did take some time.

"When you are at a magazine, you have all the resources there you need. So you are a little bit spoiled, I suppose," she says. "But being in one of the fashion capitals of the world, there is a bigger selection of everything. Ireland does have great locations, but here they are just endless."

Trying to establish yourself in a large but competitive market is what it is all about for Patrick Brangan (30), a photographer who has lived in New York for the past four-and-a-half years.

Mr Brangan is married to an American and alternates between construction work and assisting other well-known photographers two to three days a week.

Assisting, which pays anywhere between $200 and $350 a day, means helping to light shoots, set up shots and position the camera for the photographer. It also provides a valuable way of learning about the industry, he says.

"Especially in a place like New York, it's a way of working with photographers. You get to see how things are done, and how they deal with clients," he says.

In between assisting and construction work, Mr Brangan is a busy man. His various projects include a travel book, as well as a documentary series based on people walking to work in New York.

He is also planning to collaborate with various writers on another project, which will focus on what it is like to live in New York.

"This is one of the hardest cities to be a successful photographer," he says. "There is nothing easily achieved here in New York but there is a sense that if you work hard enough and have enough passion, the sky is the limit.

"This is the energy that makes this city a place that takes the most - but can also give the most - to any immigrant."