Confused as to what options I have

Ashlinggnilsia

Ok basically this summer I will be gettin an ordinary degree in Business Admin, I have applied to do and Honours Degree In Legal Studies with Business in WIT because I relaised I find Law interesting. Here is where the problem starts, first off they might not even accept me as it says on the website they require legal studies ordinary degree or equivalent and I am just hoping that seeing as they would be coming from the law side to do law and business and i would be coming from the business side to do law and business they might take me! Otherwise Im fooked!

I really really don't like business i don't want to do an honours degree in it but without an honours degree I can't do a level 9 or 10 or anything so I have to find a level 8 that will take me thats not 100% business because I hate business so the smallest amount of it i have to do the better! I don't know where to find a course that will take me from a level 7 into a level 8 unless it is an add on and even at that i don't know what colleges would have such courses. Also Im living in Tipp so really my only options are Cork or Waterford. Once that is done then if i get the level 8 i don't know where to go from there.

I find law interesting but i don't think i am intelligent enough to become a solicitor. So even if i do that level 8 I have no clue where I am going to go from there career wise. If i wanted to be a teacher I would have to have at least 2 subjects to teach at second level and I would only have business as they don't do law so that is out of the question. And I really don't want to sit in an office for the rest of my life it just wouldn't be my cup of tea.

Its starting to stress me out that im basically gettin my ordinary degree and I don't really want to do anything with it. Ive been trying to look for part-time/distance learning courses I could do on other things because I don't want to start all over doing another degree in something that is going to take me another 3 years. Its times like this I wish I did an arts degree so that i could pretty much go anywhere with it! Grrrr:mad::mad::mad:

Any help/advice would be much appreciated!

El Siglo

What if you do the business degree, get a decent one of those, apply to King's Inns/QUB/UCD to do a postgrad in Law. It'll be two years and the latter of those courses are masters degrees and all three will qualify you to sit the bar exams in King's Inns (i.e. becoming a Barrister). Or if you want, get yourself an apprenticeship in a solicitors office and do the FE-1s, although this is quite precarious at the moment. You don't need a law degree to do law, there's tons of options. Main thing is get an honours degree, can't do shit without an honours degree.

Ashlinggnilsia

Yup I don't mind doing the Honours Degree in WIT i have applied but won't know until July if they will take me and if they do it will only be 1 year long and then I will have an ordinary degree in Business Admin and an Honours Degree in Legal Studies with business. Still the idea of FE1s does quite scare me, im not sure if im smart enough for it. Slightly worried i got a bit of an easy ride in my last course. But im kinda thinking if im not able for the FE1's i don't know what im going to do with myself! Initially I was thinking I would do the Honours Degree to get a better understanding of Law and see if I really like it and then to FE1 prep course with GCD but I am definitly beginning to reconsider it. We have done three modules of law through my course and I do find it interesting but at the same time I don't know if i would be able for it and that is probly beginning to worry me because if i can't then I don't know what i am going to do with myself!

El Siglo

Just reading over your post there, you sound a bit all over the place op:

Ashlinggnilsia wrote:

I find law interesting but i don't think i am intelligent enough to become a solicitor.

Trust me when I say that anybody can become a solicitor, it's not even intellect dependent. I know people that I did my undergrad with, thick as shit but because they're involved with people, they've got themselves set up in a nice little apprenticeship.

Ashlinggnilsia wrote:

And I really don't want to sit in an office for the rest of my life it just wouldn't be my cup of tea.

No such thing, especially with any legal career. Chance's are you'd spend more time going between the district/circuit court and your office. You'd spend more time in your car.

Ashlinggnilsia wrote:

Its times like this I wish I did an arts degree so that i could pretty much go anywhere with it!

I did arts, great as it was I learned absolutely nothing. The only good thing about arts is that it got me into my current postgrad (MSc Environmental Science).
Anyway, have you considered applying for a transfer to UCC or somewhere to 2nd or 3rd year law? You'd be sort of starting again but it's a few more years in college, get yourself sorted out a bit longer with careers and goals etc...

Ashlinggnilsia

I meant if i went with the business side of things sitting in the office sort of jobs! It is the fourth year of a course. I e-mailed the head of the arts department in WIT a while ago and he said depending on my results I may be considered so I printed them off and stuck that in with my application because this summer i will have my ordinary degree and this degree is a 1 yr add on to an ordinary degree I will just have to do the one year if they take me and I will have an honours degree which is pretty good! TBH i am a bit all over the place. The reason I say that about the Arts is because my brother is doing his second masters since his arts degree and its totally different to what he studied! It seems to give you the freedom to choose you know. Whereas I am finding that Its not the same at all with mine! I was the only person in my course who hadn't done Business for the Leaving Cert, Im not doing bad in it doing good but thats about it I find it easy somewhat boring, Didn't know I would like law until we did the modules in my course, which is really annoying because I would have had enough points to do the course in waterford from the begining.

I suppose I am just basically worried the transition from University to IT is going to be very different if i do a masters or anything like that because WIT does not offer a masters in Law. So I would have to go to a university. Though I am going to be completely fecked if i do the law and realise i hate it. When i was in first year i thought i was set 3rd year here i am no clue! It is even more annoying because everyone of my friends seems to know exactly what they want to do/be. Basically I like to have back up plans 1. If i don't like the law I don't know what I will do 2. If they don't accept me I haven't found another course within a drivable distance that is both law and business and would accept me! And it has to be within driving distance because money for accom etc would be an issue!

El Siglo

Ashlinggnilsia wrote: »

I meant if i went with the business side of things sitting in the office sort of jobs! It is the fourth year of a course. I e-mailed the head of the arts department in WIT a while ago and he said depending on my results I may be considered so I printed them off and stuck that in with my application because this summer i will have my ordinary degree and this degree is a 1 yr add on to an ordinary degree I will just have to do the one year if they take me and I will have an honours degree which is pretty good! TBH i am a bit all over the place. The reason I say that about the Arts is because my brother is doing his second masters since his arts degree and its totally different to what he studied! It seems to give you the freedom to choose you know. Whereas I am finding that Its not the same at all with mine! I was the only person in my course who hadn't done Business for the Leaving Cert, Im not doing bad in it doing good but thats about it I find it easy somewhat boring, Didn't know I would like law until we did the modules in my course, which is really annoying because I would have had enough points to do the course in waterford from the begining.

I suppose I am just basically worried the transition from University to IT is going to be very different if i do a masters or anything like that because WIT does not offer a masters in Law. So I would have to go to a university. Though I am going to be completely fecked if i do the law and realise i hate it. When i was in first year i thought i was set 3rd year here i am no clue! It is even more annoying because everyone of my friends seems to know exactly what they want to do/be. Basically I like to have back up plans 1. If i don't like the law I don't know what I will do 2. If they don't accept me I haven't found another course within a drivable distance that is both law and business and would accept me! And it has to be within driving distance because money for accom etc would be an issue!

Fair enough, I'd look into getting into the honours law degree programme in WIT. If in doubt, apply to UCC for the 2nd or 3rd year of the BCL. If you're still unsure, see out the business studies course, as hateful as you find it they're are still a load of options available. Hear me out on this.
Have you ever heard of Town Planning? Not to sound condescending, I ask this in sincerity (I did it in my undergrad and knew nothing about it). Now this isn't law per se, but it's got a good bit of law (it's all legislation so it is, planners are called 'technocrats'), a bit of geography, bit of sociology, bit of history, a bit of business, economics, bit's of architecture, bit's of everything really. Now considering you fear going into law and you're afraid of not liking it, which is completely understanable. Planning, is sort of the half-way option between law and everything else. It's a professional course in UCD and QUB, and it's well regarded.
Why am I suggesting this to you? Because if you don't like business, and you're unsure of law (even though you like it) and what career you'd like, then this is a course that'll give you a taste of law. Plus, if you're unsure of what you'd like to do, then do something different, that will boost the cv (if you did law after say doing the MRUP or the MSc) can you imagine how interested employers are in a; business, planning and law graduate?
This is only my 2 cents, and I might be talking shite, but this is the route some people I've worked with have taken, one chap I knew worked as an electrician, then as a software techie, did his BBS in DCU, then Project Management in TCD and UL, then the MRUP, now he is doing his PhD in NUIM. He went from being a sparky to being a doctoral student in Geography.

You should also talk the careers' advice people in WIT and see what they think as well.

Ashlinggnilsia

oh like i will definitly be gettin the ordinary degree in business admin, im basically finished! Never have to go to another lecture again, we are semesterised so ive passed all my exams from the first semester and now in the second semester I am on work placement all i have to do is hand in a daily long and written report on work placement and i get my degree! Can't imagine im going to fail placement! Half way through it now anyway! TBH i hadn't heard of town planning so no offence taken! Sounds interesting enought though I shall look into it! One thing i have learned from going to an IT is that alot of employers see it as a lesser college! The amount of jobs i have applied for and Graduate jobs I have come accross that only wan't somebody with a university degree is disgraceful! I went to an IT because it had the course I thought I wanted not because I didnt have enought points to go to a university! Anyway gettin a bit of point there having an aul rant! Ha ha! Well thanks so much for your help anyway its just difficult to try and figure out where I can go from here because I still need a level 8 and only a small number of courses allow you to go from a level 7 to 8. Didn't realise all these things would be such a problem when i was in 6th year! Thanks again for all your help you have given me alot to think about!

ForeverYoung90

Hey man best of luck with whatever you decide to do.Just curious as to what places refused an IT qualification?

Ashlinggnilsia

It was just on a job ad ive seen loads of them and it says University degree in the qualifications sought section, not degree or level 8 just University Degree. Its fairly annoying, Ive basically decided in the mean time not to go back to college and try and get work and I am going to do an IPA degree distance learning if I get work, because I will have my ordinary degree so that is something but at least I have the opportunity to work if something comes my way!

Nevergreen

Hi, I'm a graduate of the Legal & Business Studies degree in WIT and first of all just want to say do not worry about the "legal studies ordinary degree or equivalent bit". We had people coming from different ITs who had done varied courses eg Marketing etc. The final year was a very mixed bunch. You will be well able for it. You can pick your subjects to your strengths and what law modules you've already done & enjoyed.
The lecturers are fantastic, the classes are small and you get lots of support. Undoubtedly the facilities arent as good as say UL or UCC but we're much smaller and we're getting there. You're allowed get a 1 day pass to use UCC's library if you you wanna go there for project or whatever but sure that applies to any college.
Dont worry about having the intellect to do law - it's mainly Who you know not What you know which is very hard to be honest.
Best of luck with your application - you're better off in college than trying to find work!

Ashlinggnilsia

Thats great to hear from someone who has done the course! Im thinking I might take a year out and then go and do it, i have applied but i must just send down stuff like my results from this year still have about a week or two to send it down, but i think I might wait a year and just pay off some loans and the likes. Thats if I can even get a job. It would be nice to have a bit of money for a change. Im a bit all over the place at the mo cos i was so certain i was going to do that course in september but now I am thinking I might just try and work but Im really not sure! Im sure it won't do any harm to wait one more year! Get a bit of time out from college!

padraig100

can anyone suggest subjects i should pick if i want to study law please!

El Siglo

What are you studying?

padraig100

El Siglo wrote: »

What are you studying?

if that was directed at me. i'm in transition year. i would like to do law and french!

El Siglo

padraig100 wrote: »

if that was directed at me. i'm in transition year. i would like to do law and french!

It was. Probably better off going here then.

padraig100

El Siglo wrote: »

It was. Probably better off going here then.

ok thanks!

Lockstep

Law student here.

Fair few students who are thick as elephant crap get through the law course with me, it's mostly reeling off information (work out what areas you're likely to be examined on, learn a few cases to go with it and you should be grand)

If you find law interesting, you'll be more than able for it.

padraig100

kickoutthejams wrote: »

Law student here.

Fair few students who are thick as elephant crap get through the law course with me, it's mostly reeling off information (work out what areas you're likely to be examined on, learn a few cases to go with it and you should be grand)

If you find law interesting, you'll be more than able for it.

will do! thanks!

Arsenal1986

Law grad here also, Its relativley easy to do okay in i.e get a low B/high C in. Quiet diifcult to get a high B,A in though. Much more so then business I would say.

As previous posters have said, to an extent, law is more about hard work then being incredibly intellectually challenging.

Tough area to get a job in at the moment.

padraig100

which subject are you talking about in th first sentence of your comment? thanks!

El Siglo

padraig100 wrote: »

which subject are you talking about in th first sentence of your comment? thanks!

I think that Arsenal1986 is talking about law in general terms and all of the associated modules in a degree course. In that, modules like criminal, evidence, equity, tort etc... they're passable but are very difficult to do well in and get the first or high 2.1. (Apologies if I'm incorrect Arsenal!;)).