What am I going to do with my life?" It is a question that plagues nearly all of us for most of our teenage years and even on into adulthood.

Not so Kerry Butcher, an equipment technician at Hewlett Packard in Leixlip, Co Kildare.

"I knew what I wanted to do since I was 14. Physics, maths and mechanical drawing were the subjects I had most interest in at school."

So what exactly does an equipment technician do? "We ensure that machines on the production line run efficiently and that quota targets are met."

Originally from Cork, Butcher applied to Carlow IT for a place on the mechanical-engineering diploma course and was accepted. After three years, she emerged with her qualification. "I chose then to do an industrial-maintenance course, which I spent a year doing at FAS in Cabra, and during that time I also did a management course."

While studying, she tried her hand at almost anything, including office work, shop work, gardening and even a stint as a tour guide at Cork Heritage Park, none of which dampened her enthusiasm for a career as a technician. She says that as far as she knows almost all of her fellow students on the FAS course subsequently found jobs.

Armed with new qualifications and experience, Butcher went for an interview at Hewlett Packard - or HP, as it is known to its employees - and has been very happy there since.

"I love the job. It's interesting and because I know what I'm doing it's confidence-building," she says matter-of-factly. She acknowledges that the hours are long, but it is more than made up for by the number of days off and the fact that all the technicians not only work well together, but get on well.

Butcher herself works mostly with the mechanical machines on the production lines, while there are others who specialise in electrical machines. But the interesting thing is the work cross-over: she may, occasionally, have to work on the electrical machines which, she agrees, adds to the challenge of the job. The company provides internal training to broaden the scope of its employees.

Butcher is ambitious, and with Hewlett Packard actively encouraging and offering incentives to employees to further their careers, she says she will probably go on to do a degree course.