Where Do I Go Now

S.I.R

Hello folks , im Ben and im a n00b here


Though im 15 im basically out of school with nothing but a junior cert behind me.

Ive been wondering for a while what i should do with my life , should i go to fas or not maybe do a crappy computer course to show me what i already know in photoshop cs3

i could get a job in landscaping or a very difficult trade like being a coppersmith

im not to sure and theres not too many options open even though i have a vast knollege of cars ( been around them all my life ) and computers... aswell as music ( guitarist as you may suspect )


any decent advice would be helpful ,

regards - Ben

geuro

Ben, i know you have probably heard it time and time again... but go back to school and get your leaving cert. If you don't have it you will regret it for sure, and you will have very few opportunities compared to your peers who have got theirs. At the age of 15, whether you like it or not, there is a lot left for you to learn at school..

pavilion

geuro wrote:

Ben, i know you have probably heard it time and time again... but go back to school and get your leaving cert. If you don't have it you will regret it for sure, and you will have very few opportunities compared to your peers who have got theirs. At the age of 15, whether you like it or not, there is a lot left for you to learn at school..

Yep he's right, i did my leaving cert but failed because i missed a lot of time due to my mother dying of cancer during 5th year, it's always been something thats held me back and finding a decent job without it is tough enough so i'd recommend you stay in school. A FAS course could work if you're dead set but make sure to research the job oppertunities once your qualified. You say you like cars so maybe a mechanics apprenticeship would suit you.

XJR

Finish School and get your leaving cert.

keefg

Ben,

I know exactly how you feel, I hated school and also left at 15.......but, that was in London in the 80's and there were plenty of jobs. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy and I spent years in cr@ppy jobs until I got enough experience under my belt to earn a decent living.

Ireland (or any other country for that matter) in 2007 is a very different envirionment, much more technology driven and you will need every advantage you can get.

This may sound sh1tty but at 15 you are still a child......go back to school!!

If not, your regular phase at work for the next 10 years or so might very well be "Would you like fries with that? Is that eat in or take away?".

Even if you decide not to go onto college, you should at least get yourself a leaving cert....a junior cert will not get you very far.

Think about it, at your age I am sure you are very fashion concious (spelling??), you will want the latest gear, the latest cell phone, the latest ipod. In a couple of years you will probably want a car.....all of these are not cheap, and don't get me started about how much dating will set you back :eek: .

I hope you make the right decision, good luck mate.

Saruman

Go back to school yes.. however...If thats not an option for whatever reason then do an apprenticeship. I think an electrician or plumber is a good idea as when you do your time you can make excellent money. More than a car mechanic i think.

15... is that not too young to legally do anything? including leave school? I was sure you had to be 16 to leave school or work.

um7y1h83ge06nx

I reckon go back to school as well.

I have (not rubbing it in or boasting) a 1.1 degree in an I.T. related course, two years of good work experience and I wouldn't say things are completely plain sailing with me workwise.

Things would be a hell of a lot harder if I had only my Junior Cert, these days you need all the advantage you can get in the working world.

Anyway, you're only 15 and two more years in school can't hurt too much.

AARRRGH

Ben you will 100% regret not doing your leaving cert. Seriously, you may not see it now, but you will regret it, without a doubt.

Even if you can just scrape a pass, put up with two years of pain rather than a lifetime of regret.

I did the leaving... it's not that hard. It's basically just some memorising and reading.

You could even do pass in every subject, scrape a pass, head into a PLC course and then slowly make your way up the college ladder.

If you know "learning" is not for you, then try the apprentice route. Can you still do mechanics apprenticeships?

the_syco

Ben, do an apprenticeship. Whilst doing said apprenticeship, you can do the LC. Maybe do it next year, by which time you've gotten the hang of the apprenticeship. Look into what apprenticeships are related to cars, and see if by doing, say, electronics, or mechanics, you could move into fixing cars, for example.

Mrs. MacGyver

As a former teacher i should be advising you to go back to school but i understand that some peole are not all academically minded and are better at a hands on approach to work.
Do an apprenticeship or else the Leaving Cert Applied if your not acedemically minded for the mainstream Leaving Cert. The Leaving Cert Applied is way more practical and geared towards the world of work. My cousin left after the Junior Cert last year and he's an apprentice plasterer and loves every minute of it. Make sure that you pick something to reflect your skills though. Best of luck

The link below will give more info on the leaving cert applied if your interested.

http://lca.slss.ie/faq.html#lca

Dudess

Yep. Seriously do the leaving cert. 15 and heading off to work? You'd regret it immeasurably. How will you feel when you see your mates having the time of their lives at college?
And apart from a few easily rectifiable mistakes, you're quite a good writer - Christ, I'm amazed to see something typed by a 15-year-old without any text-speak shíte. You also come across as a bright guy - don't waste your brains by not doing the leaving.
I know the leaving doesn't suit everyone - even some exceptionally intelligent people. It is indeed extremely flawed in how it's structured - it's a blanket system that doesn't take diversity into account. But it's the only system there is - use it to YOUR advantage. Or, as Mrs. MacGyver suggested (wow, she has emerged surprisingly quickly from that coma brought on by Richard Dean Anderson being in town! ) do the leaving cert applied. This is indeed a brilliant system for people who have difficulties with the mainstream one.
And there are plenty of courses you'd like (computer, music) that don't require high points.
As for your interest in cars, I don't know where you live, but if it's Dublin, Mechanical Engineering in DIT was 305 points this year - I'd say you'd be well able.

pclancy

Ive got a good mate whos a mechanic, been fixing cars since he was a toddler, amazingly gifted with cars but he's stuck doing that trade forever unless he goes back and does his leaving. His speciality is diesals and turbos, I tried typing him up a CV for a seriously good job in Dublin and we got about 5 lines down then hit a dry wall. Even though he is technically able for the job, no big employer will touch him. Not having his LC has closed doors for him bigtime as regards getting into larger and more interesting stuff, he'll be still doing the same job in 20 years unless he goes back and does it. If thats what you want, no worries, if you want the possiblity to do other stsuff i think you should just do the LC now.

Just get it out of the way now and your life is yours, do an apprentaship or go to college, it doesnt matter as long as you're happy. But you need your leaving cert at least man....

Dudess

Yeah, college certainly isn't the be-all-and-end-all (although it's good fun and great for meeting members of the opposite sex!) You don't HAVE to have a college degree at all. But seriously, the leaving cert is pretty much essential. I've worked in call centres - brain-deadening. Yet they require you to have your leaving cert. I worked in HMV nearly ten years ago and I had to have my leaving for it.

amtc

a teacher with three basic spelling errors? Anyway

honestly, ben, you will need your lc. maybe try support classes, but the fact that you're asking means that you're bright enough to do it.

Dudess

If you're gonna remark on someone's spelling (teacher or not), maybe have a look at the standard of your punctuation. Apart from the "anyway" (which isn't punctuated) after the first sentence, there is not one capital letter in your post - either for the first word of a new sentence, or for the proper noun (Ben). Also, abbreviations tend to be capped up (LC). They just look wrong in lower-case.

congo_90

ben, I talk from experience like some op. My friends dropped out after the JC. At first they thought it was great. 16, earning money etc. But now a year and a bit on they're coming back to school.im 17 and I stayed and am in 6th year at the moment. They left apprentiships behind to come back to school. If your'e like them, then i don't think your'e ready to leave and give up. Just hold off another 2 years. Whats 2 years gonna do? jus seriously head down, books open. get p*ssed on ur LC nite and start your career then. Don't follow what my m8s done bud.
hope I helped,
regards,
Dan

Dudess

Yep, you've missed a month so go, go, go!!!
Or... can you at this stage? Ben, let us know what you think.

um7y1h83ge06nx

pclancy wrote:

Ive got a good mate whos a mechanic, been fixing cars since he was a toddler, amazingly gifted with cars but he's stuck doing that trade forever unless he goes back and does his leaving. His speciality is diesals and turbos, I tried typing him up a CV for a seriously good job in Dublin and we got about 5 lines down then hit a dry wall. Even though he is technically able for the job, no big employer will touch him. Not having his LC has closed doors for him bigtime as regards getting into larger and more interesting stuff, he'll be still doing the same job in 20 years unless he goes back and does it. If thats what you want, no worries, if you want the possiblity to do other stsuff i think you should just do the LC now.

Just get it out of the way now and your life is yours, do an apprenticeship or go to college, it doesnt matter as long as you're happy. But you need your leaving cert at least man....

Spot on. My father is a FÁS instructor and recommends everyone to get their LC first, than do an apprenticeship so you will have your papers.

A lot of people have been highly technically skilled for jobs but lost out on not having their LC or not having their FÁS qualifications.

dame

Yes, go back to school. I know lots of people who left school early and ALL regret not doing their LC. Go and talk to a school about joining in with the LCA (Leaving Cert Applied) or LCVP (Leaving Cert Vocational Program), if the reason you left is because you want to be more hands-on than book-learning.

The other option is an apprenticeship, but I think you're even too young for that at that moment. Plus, most apprentices have their LC before they start nowadays.

Is there a specific reason that you left school? Maybe we could offer better advice if we knew why exactly you left?

There are lots of courses out there that you might like if you're interested in cars. Check out mechanical engineering cert/diploma/degrees. Most places have them.

You mentioned you're interested in and good with photoshop. Have you thought about doing a photography course? Have a look at what's available.

There are so many courses out there that you could do. I really really think you should go straight back to school though. You'll have two years to think and research and decide what exactly you want to go for. Let's face it; at the moment, you haven't much chance of any job at all, let alone any choice.

WindSock

S.I.R wrote:

knollege

School!


Fas + apprenticeships are your main options at them moment. You could always wait until you are 23 and go to college as a mature student.

mikemac

I'm going against the grain here. (please don't flame me)
I did my LC, a 4 year degree and a postgrad qualification. My first job was in a bank for 22k . I've over double that now though 2 years later.

My brother quit school at 17 and 5th year (more correctly, was thrown out).
He went labouring on building sites and for years and years was making making far more than me, €700 weekly cash in hand while I lived on a minimum wage bar job and a student grant.

Am I bitter, hell yeah!

Do a FAS course OP but if you don't want to do the LC then don't. There's plenty of money to be made out there.

keefg

micmclo wrote:

I'm going against the grain here. (please don't flame me)
I did my LC, a 4 year degree and a postgrad qualification. My first job was in a bank for 22k . I've over double that now though 2 years later.

My brother quit school at 17 and 5th year (more correctly, was thrown out).
He went labouring on building sites and for years and years was making making far more than me, €700 weekly cash in hand while I lived on a minimum wage bar job and a student grant.

Am I bitter, hell yeah!

Do a FAS course OP but if you don't want to do the LC then don't. There's plenty of money to be made out there.

That maybe the case for your brother my friend but we all know where the building industry is heading.

Dudess

micmclo wrote:

I did my LC, a 4 year degree and a postgrad qualification. My first job was in a bank for 22k . I've over double that now though 2 years later.

So you're in your mid-twenties and earning 44 grand? What are you bitter for?!

if you don't want to do the LC then don't. There's plenty of money to be made out there.

In building yes, but are you sure it's like that in other sectors? And as Keefg says, that's a precarious industry to be in right now. Plus, the OP hasn't expressed an interest in working in construction. It's not for everyone.

I think you should feel more positive about your college years - did you not have a great time for starters? And you have forty-plus more years til retirement - if your current earning pattern continues, you'll be earning incredible money in the future. Plus, with those qualifications you have what your brother doesn't have - options galore. What's he gonna do if he gets sick to the back teeth of construction? Or worse still, if the work starts to diminish?

Chipboard

I left school when I was 15 (in 1989). My parents, the school I went to and anyone who got a chance begged me to continue and get a leaving cert but I hated being treated like a kid (I was a kid) and wanted to get out as quick as I could.

I worked in a hardware shop for 3 months before I realised I would still be doing the same work for the same money in 50 years time.

I then moved to an apprenticeship as an electrician. The guy used to shop in the hardware shop and assured me he'd be a good employer - he turned out to be a tool and I put up with 3 months of abuse for IR£40 a week, before moving on. He had me wiring houses unsupervised within 3 days of starting with him. I had to take the monday off one week to get my motorbike serviced (don't ask me how I managed to own one on £40 a week) so I worked the following Saturday to make up for it but he docked me £8 anyway (employers can do what they want to you when you have fewer options). Also, he repeatedly dodged registering me with FAS as he didn't want me to progress. He even dodged showing me how to wire a fuseboard because he didn't want me to be able to do nixers, like every sparks does.

I left that to work in a hotel as a general worker (labouring type job). Spent 3 months lifting beer barrels (full ones), stacking shelves and sweeping up filthy niteclubs for £60 a week and all the abuse you could take.

Lastly, I moved to a job as a barman at a grade A hotel where, believe it or not the wages were less than the wage I had in the general worker job at the first hotel. I hadn't asked what the wage was because it just wasn't credible that they could pay less than the sh*thole I was after leaving. On my first day a girl I had lunch with told me the basic was £55 per week. I didn't believe her but when I got my first pay packet it was. It netted down to £45.96 - I will never forget how shocked I was. It convinced me to have a serious re-think about the whole situation.

This was in May of that year so I stuck it out for the Summer and when September came I went back to school. It worked out great. The year off was like a transition year and when I went back my attitude to the school and the teachers attitude to me was completely different. I was doing it for me (not for parents/teachers etc or out of fear) so I worked really hard.

Remember, as I said above, if you have fewer options, employers will treat you like dirt. You see it in Ireland with minority groups all the time. Its disgusting but it happens. Apprenticeships can be ok but my experience was that I was underpaid, overworked and subjected to daily abuse. Someone mentioned hanging on (out of school) until your 23 and going to college as a mature student but I don't think thats a good plan. The reason you need a leaving cert to do many 3rd level courses is because the course requires you to have an aptitude which you wouldn't have without a leaving cert. Some third level courses are difficult enought even with a leaving cert.

My strong advice to you is to go back. Do it now, the missed month wont matter a toss. Don't worry that you wont get 8 honours. If you only get 5 passes (preferably including Maths and English) and you excel in your chosen field you'll fly it. I've worked with some very sucessfull people who had very mediocre leaving certs. By the time you get to around age 27 you probably won't even put your leaving cert results on your CV because employers won't be interested in them - they'll want to know what you've achieved since you left school.

Although I have no regrets, I wouldn't necessarily recommend you do it the way I did, as unless you have a terrible year off (like I did) you won't throw yourself back into it with much gusto and it will probably be hard to face returning to full time education.

Dudess

Great post, Chipboard. What did you end up doing?

And yep Ben, you don't at all need a brilliant leaving cert, but you do need to pass it, which I'm sure you're more than capable of doing.
And Chipboard is right - employers won't be bothered with your individual results by... probably earlier than 27. But they will take it as a given that you have the leaving cert.

keefg

Our OP seems to have gone to ground, let's hope he is back in the classroom and unable to reply

keefg

keefg wrote:

Our OP seems to have gone to ground, let's hope he is back in the classroom and unable to reply

Ahh..it seems our OP Ben has surfaced...on the motors forum of all places. According to this post he has just come into some money....maybe that explains the haste to leave school??

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055160483

doolox

From what I can gather from the motor trade there is now a specialist job for automotive electronics which would be just down your street. As others said here there is no option but to do the Leaving Cert. It is regarded as the base standard for most jobs now. I know how you feel, I hated school too and couldn't wait to get away from it. I did Electronics and fluffed it the first time around because my Maths was useless. On the second attempt a few years later ( .....a long story...) I had the help of the Maths lecturer who gave me and a few other lads "catch up " classes in Maths. I still only got 45% , a pass in the maths and it has stopped me being an engineer with a soft job and soft hours but at least I am in a relatively well paid job with qualifications no one can take away from me.
The general run of the situation is this, if you put in some amount of effort in school now in subjects you are strong in it will stand to you in the future. Unfortunately there is no getting away from English, Irish or Maths in the LC as they are core subjects but all the others, within reason, are open to choice. If the school does allow a certain subject on its timetable you might be able to do it elsewhere depending on time and money available.

legs11

OP is gone awol, he got better grammer than an old vetern like me and he should do the lc.....serious.;)

as for auto electornics, its a complicated game and not easy by any means, I was going to to a MSc in WIT for the Automotive stuff but didnt bother in the end.

without a LC you are just f00ked really.

Chipboard

Dudess wrote:

Great post, Chipboard. What did you end up doing?

I'm a commercial and property lender for a Bank. Love the job and lenders are in serious demand so zero abuse.

S.I.R

im in school atm , not great fun imo... much rather be out doing manual labour or something like that with my own van/car and a flat in the back of eyond...

i honestly don't think ill make it to the leaving cert... even if i do...id laugh if i got above NG because i put hours and hours into my JC and barely scrapped 5 honors 4 pass's and a fail ( failed higher history due to running out of exam time )



even still , my old borther got a great JC and LC and still had to go to fas because there was a list of people wanting to join any half decent job... cant even get a job in an post for crying out loud....

Agent Smith

Dudess

Heh heh

OP, do as the Godfather says!