Aidan Pierce, IT Infrastructure and Operations Associate at PepsiCo

What course did you do in college? And what was it about that course that interested you?

I did an Undergrad in Commerce in UCC which is a general Business Degree, so kind of a holistic overview of Business. When I graduated I was working and then the Pandemic pushed me to apply for a Masters Degree in Information Systems for Business Performance in UCC. I chose it because it was a really attractive course and it had a lot of topics that I was interested in.

Why did you decide to apply for a Graduate role with PepsiCo?

I knew PepsiCo was based in Cork which suited me, I also had a couple of friends who worked for PepsiCo who had nothing but positive things to say about it. And it’s nice to work for a global brand as well!

What was the recruitment process like?

The application process was really straight forward and I didn’t have to go through too many rounds like I had previously with other applications!

What does a typical day at work look like for you?

I’m on a two year rotation at the moment, so last year I was working in Service Management, which was great because it really taught me about the internal life in PepsiCo, as it’s a role that touches on everything. Every department goes through Service Management in some capacity.

Now I’m working in Cyber Security which I find really interesting as well. There’s a great variation within the roles, and PepsiCo has also allowed me to get involved with extracurriculars as well like working with our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).

What do you enjoy about working for PepsiCo?

I find it’s a really supportive environment. Even when I’ve made mistakes, there’s never been any issue. And whenever I have a problem, there’s always someone who can help out in any way they can.

Overall a really good and supportive environment, it can be kind of scary going into a role in a big company straight after college, but I didn’t have that experience at all – it’s just been great from the start.

What advice would you give a graduate who is thinking about working for PepsiCo?

Just go for it! I haven’t enjoyed working with any other company as much as I’ve enjoyed working with PepsiCo, and as I said the application process is very straightforward as well. There also seems to be great internal opportunities here as well so I always advise people to try applying anyway!

What's your favourite Pepsi product?

I’d have to say Pepsi Max!