Leaving Cert Students - How do I know it’s the right career pathway for me?
The last couple of months has been a steep learning curve for everyone in many ways and in particular the realisation that even the best laid and well established plans can be altered dramatically. We now know better that ever that there are no certainties in life and the same is true with making career choices and plans particularly at a young age. Statistics show that approximately one in six students do not complete the first year of their chosen course and there a several possible reasons for that. Some students don’t settle into the college itself and may not be ready for the move to a new city and away from home and school friends. In other cases there can be financial and other pressures. In many cases students feel that they have chosen the wrong course in relation to their interests, personality traits & attributes, skills and qualities and their approach to study. While there are no absolute guarantees and indeed the majority of people veer into different careers than then originally planned, by doing a lot of self-reflection and proper research at this stage you can put yourself in the best possible position regarding your plan for the next part of your career roadmap! The following tips will help.
Start with yourself
It may sound obvious but you know yourself better than you think. Consider your interests and what you really dislike. For example if you don’t like the idea of being stuck in an office then it goes without saying you choose options that reflect that. Think about your personality, if it is in your nature to want to help people then consider courses that allow you to progress into careers that facilitate this as you are likely to get personal satisfaction from it. Look at the skills and competencies you have already, for example if you have a natural flair for problem-solving and good numerical skills you may want to consider engineering or finance. Remember you will also develop lots of new skills regardless of what pathway you choose which will open lots of opportunities for you as you progress in your career. A very important thing to consider is the type of learner you are. The good news is that learning in 3rd level is quite different to Leaving Cert and it varies depending on study area. Look at the divide between theory/practical learning and choose what suits you best. There is also a considerable amount of continuous assessment in 3rd level education and training which suits the majority of students. There is a very good selection of self- assessment tools on www.careersportal.ie
Consult others
Talk to those around you who know you well - your parents, relations, and friends. They are a very good sounding board when you are trying to make a decision. Talk to anyone you know who has done the course you are thinking about or working in the area and ask them about the advantages & disadvantages so that you can make an informed decision. Make contact with the professionals, talk to your guidance counsellor in school and contact college staff. Course co-ordinators, schools liaison officers and admissions officers are all at the end of the phone and email to answer any of your queries. Colleges, Universities and other training agencies have been running virtual Open Events or Q & A sessions in the run up to the CAO Change of Mind deadline of July 1 st and many have recordings of their virtual events up on their websites and social media platforms so check them out.
Research the detail
The saying that ‘the devil is in the detail’ is absolutely true when it comes to researching courses/career pathways. It is not enough to have a vague idea about what is involved and hope for the best. To make the best and most informed decision you can you need to spend proper time researching all the detail which is readily available online. Check out what modules you will be studying throughout the duration of the course. Some students drop out of a course early because they don’t like the modules in first year and in fact if they could get through them they would enjoy the options in second year and beyond.
Have a back-up plan
Always have a Plan B. Fill up both sides of the CAO choices (Level 8 & 7/6) if applying for Universities & Institutes of Technology. Look at the huge variety of courses available in the Further Education and Training sector on www.fetchcourses.ie and www.teagasc.ie Keep an eye on developments on www.apprenticeships.ie Consider options for study abroad on www.ucas.com and www.eunicas.com This year your back-up plan may be to choose to sit a Leaving Cert paper in a subject (s) if you are disappointed with your calculated grade and then applying for courses the following year.
Move at your own pace
You may be very excited about moving on to the next phase but if you are unsure there is no rush. Better to be happy with your decision than to rush into a course/pathway because everyone else is doing it. You have the options to defer the course that get offered from CAO by contacting the Admissions Office of the college and requesting a deferral. If granted, you can reapply through CAO the following year for just that course and you are automatically entitled to it.
This is an exciting part of your journey so ensure that you are as informed as can possibly be as you make plans and decisions about the next step!