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need college advice

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  • 28-11-2005 5:42pm
    #1
    jothee
    Closed Accounts Posts: 38 ✭


    okay so i'm 22 and currently attending a plc course in media. i'm very interested in the area, particularly journalism, have been for years. but when i started the course i really saw it as killing time for two years till i'm a mature student and can apply to a university. due to unforseen events at exam time, i did very poorly on my leaving cert -- i passed but with miserable points.

    i growing tired of the course i'm doing at the moment, as i find it very basic. i'm not sure the plc system suits me as it is very focused on practical skills. this certainly works for alot of people but imo most of the practicall skills you need in a job you learn pretty quickly once you commence employment. i no longer believe (as i did in secondary school) that education should be about what you need and nothing else. as a result i much more interested in theoretical aspects of the course which are fairly minimal and common sense.

    upon finishing the course i would be able to avail of links to degree/diploma courses in the ITs and unversities. None of these interest me however and i'd be a mature student then anyway and could apply more freely.

    so i'm now starting to wonder if there's any point continuing in this course when it seems to have very little to offer me in the long term. the course is 2 years, however i'll have a FETAC qualification at the end of this year i believe. so i'm thinking of not coming back next year. i don't know if its worth wasting another year till i'm a mature student and have considered maybe going to griffith college next year. but its fee paying of course.

    i'm doing alot of reading/studying in my own time which i'm finding much more stimulating then alot of this stuff being covered in the plc. i was thinking of maybe taking next year off and traveling or maybe just repeating my leaving or i don't know.

    i'm not going to make any rash decisions but i'm really confused as what to do. i'd really appreciate any advice anyone could offer. thanks


Comments

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    #2
    Gordon
    Registered Users Posts: 35,524 ✭✭✭✭Gordon


    Moved from PI.


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    #3
    mikelmessi
    Registered Users Posts: 47 ✭mikelmessi


    I'd advise you to finish the course, get the qualifications and then think about what you want to do. I'm now in the final year of a degree course in media following a plc course. In the degree course you do get to cover the theoretical aspects you're interested in, but in my case, I picked up more practical tips on the plc course. Whilst it's true employers will train you on the job, it's the practical stuff that can get you in the door whether it's quark, driving the desk or whatever.
    The other thing is you mention you will be a mature student with not so good leaving results. This will make applying for a place on cert/degree course more difficult as most (good) courses are picky as to they let in as mature students. But if you have the FETAC behind you it will stand with you in the application process. It worked for me. Good luck with it all.


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