Originally from a farming background quite close to Patrick Kavanagh's roots near the village of Iniskeane in Co Monaghan, Raymond Callan is quite content with his lot in life working for Intel in Leixlip, Co Dublin. "I work as a self-sustaining technician working on one of the equipment tool sets which, basically, runs part of a production line," he explains.

"My responsibility is that the tool sets are running all the time. Sometimes we do scheduled maintenance of a tool set, which is periodic checking of it to see if parts are on the way out. Depending on the parts, this scheduled maintenance would be done once a week, once a month, or once a year. The parts that are used the most are checked the most. Unscheduled maintenance would generally happen when something goes wrong."

Although his background is more in electronics, Callan's current job means he is working "in a more mechanical tool set, but the job includes certain elements of electronics and mechanics."

It's challenging to work with electronics, he says. "I wouldn't like a desk job. I like working with mechanical tools and electronics. I like to have a screwdriver in my hand. If something goes wrong, it's challenging to find the problem and fix it. Your mind is constantly active."

At the moment, Callan is in the middle of a six-month further training stint in Intel. "It's standard in this company that you go into a new job and get training," he says. "You need to be fully trained up on new systems."

In second-level school Callan was unsure about what he wanted to do, but knew that business-related subjects and farming weren't for him. So he chose more science-related subjects and was surprised by how much he liked physics.

He decided to take a certificate in electronics at Dundalk RTC. This involved two years of study and, after qualifying, he worked for Microsoft for a while before joining Intel in 1993.

"The money," he says, "is good for someone doing my job at the moment. I make a good living out of it. I'm also working with what I like. I'm not the type of person who has to get up the corporate ladder at all costs, but I have got experience all along the way and the opportunities are there for advancement. In addition, Intel like to see people moving on to different jobs. They encourage you to improve your qualifications."

According to one source, entry-level technicians just out of college can expect to start on a basic pay of around £13,000. However, depending on the company - the larger ones may have more opportunities - various bonus schemes may add another 50 per cent on to basic salary.

Callan feels "the educational side of the job" is very good in companies such as Intel. He advises young people in second-level school not to be put off taking science subjects because of misconceptions about what they may involve. Lots of opportunities exist for people like him at the moment, he says.

His other interests include soccer, the odd round of golf on his days off and watching sport on television. He also says his job affords him plenty of free time.