Careers in computers are in vogue and opportunities abound in this ever-evolving sector. One of those recently drawn to take up computers as a career is Cavan Gaelic football player and GAA All Star Dermot McCabe.

"At first," he says, "I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. But I knew some people working with computers and learnt what their jobs involved. My interest grew - besides, computers are and were getting bigger in terms of jobs available."

McCabe decided to do a course in commercial computing at Dundalk RTC. This lead to the award of a certificate after two years, diploma after three and degree after four.

"I did the four years straight without a break - I'd have found it hard to go back to study after a year out. During my four years in Dundalk RTC, I also spent two summers - around seven months in total - working with computers for my present employer."

McCabe, who works as a computer programmer for Lakeland Dairies, says he finds working with computers challenging. The work offers a wide number of possible job opportunities, whether they be in the areas of "maintenance, operations, or programming. Developments in computer hardware and software are ongoing. This makes it both interesting and challenging. You can move into different areas. And there are lots of jobs at the moment; meaning you won't have to travel abroad to get your first work experience. The financial rewards aren't bad, either."

McCabe's job as computer programmer generally involves making changes to existing programmes rather than writing new ones. "If a user reports that something is wrong with a programme," says McCabe, "I would have to find out what the problem is and make the necessary alterations to the programme so that it works as it should."

Those interested in computer careers need to be patient. "It takes a while for it all to click. You need to like computers and have a certain amount of patience with them. You also need to stick at it and, although it may be hard, you must try to keep up to date with developments."

Other interests? McCabe says he has time for only one - Gaelic football. During the summer he usually trains for an hour and a half three/four times a week and also plays a game at the weekend. He was part of the Cavan set up that won the Ulster football championship last year - the first time Cavan had done so since 1969 - and also played in the All-Ireland semi-final against eventual champions Kerry.

"Playing in front of more than 60,000 excited football fans was unreal," he says. "We walked out to a deafening roar. Once the game got under way you couldn't hear anything your team-mates were saying. The game itself was very close until the last five minutes when Kerry scored a goal and began to pull away."

Despite the disappointment of losing the semi-final, McCabe took some comfort in being selected as a GAA All Star - not bad for a 21-year old.