I never went to college!

LegacyUser

i often read the issues here of people who have their degree and diplomas but unsuccessful in securing work,i did my leaving cert years ago but due to financial reasons and not been the smartest*i have Dyscalculia * i could never go to college,i have done fetac certs etc but i really don't think they cut the mustard,so anyway i feel like a failure in one half,an odd man out giving that nearly everyone is coming out with their diplomas and certs,makes me wonder is the sort like me going to be the hit hardest,the ones that who really be up **** creek and left behind whenever the country picks up,i even see it in jobs now third level is essential.

what are other peoples views on this ..

krudler

Simply not true that you need a college education to make it in life,my housemate doesnt have one (yet, hes going back later in the year) but he works a graphic designer freelance and for a newspaper, he got the jobs based on knowledge and portfolio alone, no college degree.

A lot of people who did or are going to college will pobably either never work in the field they did the course for or just lose interest in it, or become accountants that seems to be the fallback career of choice at the moment.

Obviously a degree is important for certain lines of work but there are people who make it through life on wits and their own initiative alone. He may be a gobsh1te but look at Bill Cullen, dropped out of school at 13 and is now one of the richest men in the country.

kjl

I know a guy who left before the leaving cert and now he is an executive in IBM, so you are not that down and out, just keep doing courses.

And btw, I'm dyslexic too but it didn't affect me at all during college so don't use that as an excuse.

implausible

bnml wrote: »

i have done fetac certs etc but i really don't think they cut the mustard.

If you have done FETAC Level 5 or 6 courses, they are an alternative way into college (especially the ITs) if you haven't done the LC. Have you looked into this?

To be honest OP, the biggest obstacle in your way is your negative attitude. This thread just reads like a list of excuses. While the economy is the way it is, now is the time to get back into education if that is what you feel is the only thing holding you back.

LegacyUser

bnml wrote: »

not been the smartest*i have Dyscalculia * i could never go to college

Sorry mate that is not a valid reason. I myself have Dyslexia and I am currently in my final year of college. Even though I have terrible literacy skills I am able to write my dissertation, yes its taking me a lot longer then my mates but I am still able to do it.

Experience is the key not a piece of paper that sits on your parents wall.

tenchi-fan

What sort of career are you looking for exactly? Just because you don't have an aptitude for numbers doesn't mean you can't do another course in college.

If you're lacking in education you need to make up for it in experience and skills. You need to be better than the other applicants who apply for any particular job.

Payton

I know a guy with 2 degrees and he works as a bouncer on a nightclub in town and loves it. I know another guy he's very smart and intelligent that flips burgers and he loves it. It's called job satisfaction. You do what suits you. Bill Cullen might be very wealthy but is he happy, happy in life I mean. I could go on........Bill gates........Steve Jobs

Dyscalculia is not dyslexia, it is the inability to comprehend mathematics and spatial reasoning. Like dyslexia (and all disabilities), it has varying degrees of severity, so using the old "be a man and stop using your recognised disability as an excuse, despite the fact that I have no idea how severe it is and I am just assuming you are a lazy ****e because I managed to get through college with a different disability that I can't even differentiate from yours" line displays both a lack of understanding of disabilities and a Stone Age macho mindset. Not everyone is the same. Some people genuinely struggle in the modern world.

OP, third-level education is not necessary in securing a job, but if want to go to college, there is one very simple thing you can do: list off all of the things you love or find interesting and look for courses on them - www.qualifax.ie is a good place to start.

Remember that many - if not all - colleges have disability support services and will take it into consideration when reviewing your academic performance. Additionally, there are some areas of study that require little or no mathematical abilities.

PrinceMax

Not a big deal. College is overrated. Graduated 8 months ago. Still unemployed. I really regret not going straight to work after school. The last 7 years have been an utter waste of time. All I have to show for it is debt and some crappy piece of paper.

Dave!

What is it you want to do career-wise, OP?

LegacyUser

i didnt go to collage, barely finished the leaving cert
i took a different route, bought and sold all sorts of things (all legal) right after i left school and have done just fine, im now running my own company and am about to start another one in two months time, i never felt that i needed to go to collage and i dont think it would have helped me get to where i am today

The_Conductor

To be perfectly honest- when you go to a job interview, the interviewer is more interested in your abilities and achievements, rather than your qualifications. I used do a lot of interviews and found some of the most highly qualified candidates to be a total waste of my time. In times like these- someone who can show a good track record, regardless of their qualifications, along with a willingness to learn, rather than being locked into a particular mindset- will in most circumstances be the person offered a job........

LegacyUser

Deleted User wrote: »

Dyscalculia is not dyslexia, it is the inability to comprehend mathematics and spatial reasoning. Like dyslexia (and all disabilities), it has varying degrees of severity, so using the old "be a man and stop using your recognised disability as an excuse, despite the fact that I have no idea how severe it is and I am just assuming you are a lazy ****e because I managed to get through college with a different disability that I can't even differentiate from yours" line displays both a lack of understanding of disabilities and a Stone Age macho mindset. Not everyone is the same. Some people genuinely struggle in the modern world.

I don't think anyone here is under the impression that the OP is lazy. They're sharing their own experiences of overcoming obstacles. Dyscalculia is an obstacle. Dyslexia is an obstacle. Having parents who don't care is an obstacle. Living on the wrong side of the tracks is an obstacle. Not realising you can overcome the obstacle, however, is the biggest obstacle of them all.
Some people genuinely struggle in the modern world? 'All people genuinely struggle in the modern world' would be a more realistic assertion.