Need help with career

needadviceasap

This is my first time posting anything on any kind of website but I really need of some help or advice or stories like my own.
I'm 23 have been in the construction business labouring since i left school, i don;t have much (very very little) computer skills. I want to get out of the construction, and don't know where to start, i am not very confident dealing with people and am very very shy. i was thinking of doing some kind of computer course so i know how to use them. but i don;t know what to do after that

can anyone offer any advice on where someone would start their career or what kind of job i might get with no experience or skill?

tnx

suckslikeafox

Id advise you to look into evening courses in your local VEC or FAS scheme, its smart to try and get some sort of qualification

AARRRGH

IT would be perfect for you. Lots of shy people in this industry.

You could do a computer science degree at night in colleges like GCD in Dublin. You can still work during the day, maybe in a junior localisation or tech support role.

needadviceasap

i'm looking at sum evening courses, but i've no idea what i want to do though, vicious circle I suppose.
thanks

needadviceasap

don't think i'd be able for up for a degree

spurious

Go to your local VEC school and ask for an appointment to speak with their Adult Education Officer. They will know all the courses/schemes on offer and can advise you. That's what they are there for.

Given that you're 23 you will also qualify to be a mature student - this may open other doors.

needadviceasap

cheers thanks for that

r3nu4l

needadviceasap wrote: »

don't think i'd be able for up for a degree

Well I honestly think you should start small but think big. Start with an evening course in computers, the ECDL courses teach you how to use a computer and some of the major software packages that come with them. The fact that you posted on boards.ie shows you're not completely computer illiterate

Once you have that done you can try a certificate course, then a diploma course, then a degree course... you'd be surprised how much you can achieve.

The question to ask when you start a course is "What further study will this qualification allow me to do?". If they say "Diploma with College/University X", phone College/University X and ask them if they really do accept that qualification.

Also, as has been said a FÁS scheme will allow you to get some experience and some pay while you learn. You would also be eligible for a mature-students grant if you decided to go to college.

Good luck in whatever you do!

Tom Dunne

I've given you pretty much identical advice in your other thread over here.

Duff_Man

im in the same boat as you. im 20 and a apprentice sparks....work is really startin to thin out and i want something stable. but like you i have no idea what else id like to do! computers wouldnt be a bad thing to get into i know a few plc collages like crumlin that offer decent courses

board om

hey there,

if you wanted to stay working while you started doing a course then you could look at doing a FAS course in the evenings. you wouldnt get paid for doing it like you would with the full-time FAS courses but if you were working during the day then that wouldnt be an issue becuase you would have an income.

they do have some excellent courses now that would get you on a career path and they start at quite a basic level so you would learn all the essential skills needed to start an office job. for example they do courses in Insurance, Banking, Sales & Marketing, etc. most of the courses cover the standard computer skills like Word, Excel, and Outlook. they would also do typing. then depending what course you were doing they would also do industry standard entry level exams for that subject. so say if you decided to do the Insurance course then you would do the IF1 & IF2 Insurance exams and this would set you up to start work in an Insurance Brokers.

check out www.fas.ie to get started.

good luck with it.

cronos

AARRRGH wrote: »

IT would be perfect for you. Lots of shy people in this industry.

You could do a computer science degree at night in colleges like GCD in Dublin. You can still work during the day, maybe in a junior localisation or tech support role.

Putting a shy person on tech support is silly in my book as they have to deal with loads of people. Way more people than anyone else.

cronos

I would suggest you become an accountant rather than IT imo.

r3nu4l

r3nu4l wrote: »

Well I honestly think you should start small but think big. Start with an evening course in computers, the ECDL courses teach you how to use a computer and some of the major software packages that come with them. The fact that you posted on boards.ie shows you're not completely computer illiterate

Once you have that done you can try a certificate course, then a diploma course, then a degree course... you'd be surprised how much you can achieve.

The question to ask when you start a course is "What further study will this qualification allow me to do?". If they say "Diploma with College/University X", phone College/University X and ask them if they really do accept that qualification.

Also, as has been said a FÁS scheme will allow you to get some experience and some pay while you learn. You would also be eligible for a mature-students grant if you decided to go to college.

Good luck in whatever you do!

TomDunne wrote:

As I see it, you have two options with respect to computer courses - ECDL or a third level college course.

ECDL is for absolute beginners, takes approx 12-15 weeks and is a good grounding in computers (I used to teach ECDL).

If you want to go a longer route, you could start a National Certificate course in an third level college, such as Tallaght, Blanchardstown, DIT, or many of the private colleges.

On a side note, the very fact that you have posted on this forum suggests to me that you have more capabilities than you give yourself credit for. I have seen beginners before who simply cannot comprehend the concept of a discussion based forum such as Boards.ie.

So start thinking positively, you may surprise yourself with what you can do.

Tom Dunne wrote: »

I've given you pretty much identical advice in your other thread over here.

:eek: That's uncanny! :eek:

IT is certainly one area worth considering but what about some type of engineering? Electronic engineering? You could also try studying construction studies? The environment isn't great for the construction business right now but it will pick up again. Find out a bit more about career prospects for those studying construction studies.

Tom Dunne

cronos wrote: »

Putting a shy person on tech support is silly in my book as they have to deal with loads of people. Way more people than anyone else.

Who said anything about tech support? IT is a helluva lot more than tech support.

cronos wrote: »

I would suggest you become an accountant rather than IT imo.

You don't do stereotypes, do you? :rolleyes:

Other than what's posted here, how in the name of jeebus can you suggest accountancy without knowing anything about him? The fact that he is shy? Great reason to become an accountant.

r3nu4l wrote: »

:eek: That's uncanny!

Great minds think alike/fools seldom differ.

Delete as appropriate.

Athina

needadviceasap wrote: »

This is my first time posting anything on any kind of website but I really need of some help or advice or stories like my own.
I'm 23 have been in the construction business labouring since i left school, i don;t have much (very very little) computer skills. I want to get out of the construction, and don't know where to start, i am not very confident dealing with people and am very very shy. i was thinking of doing some kind of computer course so i know how to use them. but i don;t know what to do after that

can anyone offer any advice on where someone would start their career or what kind of job i might get with no experience or skill?

tnx

Contact your local FAS office and arrange for a meeting with one of their training facilitators. They have excellent courses and you will be paid a weekly allowance for attending one.