Have you done the Leaving Cert?

Chris P. Bacon

Now that time is upon us again,I'll admit I havent done it,I left school after third year to start working,im 30 now and I have been working the last 15 years,and i have got a job no problem without it so I don't think having the Leaving Cert would have been an advantage to me.They way I looked at it back then was im not going to college so what the point in me doing it,do people still think like that or is that just an "old fashioned" way of thinking?

chin_grin

Yes.

ejmaztec

I clicked No, but then again I wasn't educated here, so stick that in your poll:P

JohnMarston

You're only limiting your future options by not doing the leaving cert, whether you plan to go to college or not.

Nothing worth having comes easy

mikemac

Times were different 15 years ago OP

And I'd say a huge percentage of posters parents didn't do the LC. Mine didn't anyway. You didn't need a LC to go working, now it's almost expected everyone will get it.

And going to college was only for certain people not so long ago

irishdub14

I'm doing it next year, I don't know how I'll cope with the workload!

almostnever

I sat it twice- when I was 16 (2009) and when I was 17 (2010). Feels strange not doing it this year, woo college! :pac:

NTMK

whoever said theyre doing it now should ye not be sitting an exam now(3:25)?:confused:

Chris P. Bacon

NTMK wrote: »

whoever said theyre doing it now should ye not be sitting an exam now(3:25)?:confused:

Are you allowed have phones in the exam hall?

SteoL

Yep, Leaving Cert and some College.

Stuxnet

nope, left school at 17, 1997, just started my LC year !

celtic tiger teenager, became a chippie ! worked at it till jan 2010...

just finished first year Comp Sys in UL aged 31

Oh_Noes

mikemac wrote: »

Times were different 15 years ago OP

And I'd say a huge percentage of posters parents didn't do the LC. Mine didn't anyway. You didn't need a LC to go working, now it's almost expected everyone will get it.

And going to college was only for certain people not so long ago

12 years since I did it and tbh it wasn't very different from now. There were only around five or so that quit between the LC and fifth year out of 200 in the year.

I thought it was a huge deal at the time and so did everyone else. Looking back now I don't think it made a huge difference to me as I went into further education through a different route to the traditional one, despite the fact that I done honours in everything but maths.

If I could go back now I would probably drop out as soon as fifth year and try to get an apprenticeship in a trade. The whole thing gets far too much importance placed on it in my view.

partyatmygaff

NTMK wrote: »

whoever said theyre doing it now should ye not be sitting an exam now(3:25)?:confused:

Only those doing Home Ec. English Paper I finished up at 12:20

rossie1977

i never did, left school just before my 17th birthday

i did plenty of exams after though years later, in college i got 1.1 degree, 1.1 high diploma and a honours masters degree

pragmatic1

Sat it twice to get better points. Just regurgitating facts for the most part. Glad I done it though.

Wolfe Tone

Yeah I did mine, in college now.

Biggins

Done it, many years ago.

Karona

Did my leaving, did 2 years of IT and hated it. worked full time for 3 years, then i did 2 years of beauty therapy and Im out of work now

stovelid

Used to do them every weekend.

I miss the Mean Fiddler.

Da Shins Kelly

Did it last year. Worst year of my life, but well worth it for college.

Lux23

stovelid wrote: »

Used to do them every weekend.

I miss the Mean Fiddler.

I don't think I have ever done a Leaving Cert even when I was one. That's something for the 'things to do before I am 30 list'.

themadchef

mikemac wrote: »

Times were different 15 years ago OP

And I'd say a huge percentage of posters parents didn't do the LC. Mine didn't anyway. You didn't need a LC to go working, now it's almost expected everyone will get it.

And going to college was only for certain people not so long ago

Jesus i feel really old after reading this thread. Not far off twenty years since i sat mine :eek:

pockets3d

Started today aww yeah.
It's not really any worse than regular school so i just can't wait to be done for the summer but so far it's not really bothering me because I'm not looking for 500 points.

strokemyclover

Been there. Done that. Done much harder exams since.

I don't know why people at this time of year go mad about "Oh, the poor young'uns....they must be under enormous pressure". The exams themselves are piss easy! When you look back, it's just the whole mental shift of leaving school thats in any way stressful and even that is minor.

who the fug

NTMK wrote: »

whoever said theyre doing it now should ye not be sitting an exam now(3:25)?:confused:

Bollix, kid is a genuis who finished the paperfirst, and is now collecting his/her winnings for being first out

mikemac

themadchef wrote: »

Jesus i feel really old after reading this thread. Not far off twenty years since i sat mine :eek:

Ah, you did the Inter Cert too :cool:

None of this fancy new Junior Cert the kids do nowadays

bluecatmorgana

Did mine 10 years ago, went to college for 4 years, worked for 2 and a half, and now just finishing 2nd year of college, again.

coffeelover

Doing mine next year god help me

stovelid

mikemac wrote: »

Ah, you did the Inter Cert too :cool:

Back when you could revel in superiority over the group cert students.

Asphyxia

Yes I did but never did the junior cert.

DanTheMan91

I done mine two years ago, and I regret not putting in more of an effort. I got enough points for my college course, but I didn't have the right mentality, I went into every exam hoping for 40%, whereas I should have been getting B's and C's.

Show Time

All the way back in the early 90's 2A's in History and English, An a C in biology to go with the 3D's in French, Maths and Business org. Irish was an F but i was always playing catch up in that subject as my primary school teacher was an old ape who hated the fact he could not beat the kids in the class anymore.

Superbus

coffeelover wrote: »

Doing mine next year god help me

Ah we'll be fine.

Probably. Unless something weird happens like the wrong paper's given out again. That'd be annoying.

pragmatic1

strokemyclover wrote: »

Been there. Done that. Done much harder exams since.

I don't know why people at this time of year go mad about "Oh, the poor young'uns....they must be under enormous pressure". The exams themselves are piss easy! When you look back, it's just the whole mental shift of leaving school thats in any way stressful and even that is minor.

Its not the exams its the pressure and expectation that goes with them. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldnt have be half as stressed out

Rubberlegs

Did mine 21 years ago:eek:, daughter started it today...

Coeurdepirate

I'll be doing mine next year.

Pherekydes

Nope. Left school at 17, after 4 years at 2nd level, to join the army.

So nul points for me.

Did the Group and Inter certs, though.

flyaway.

I'm doing it now. Fun.

Niles

Did it five years ago, not much else to do at the moment so I might do it again for the craic. :pac:

greenybaby

Done my leaving at 16(1999) got results when i was 17 but if i was to go back in time i wudda re-sat the leaving and got a better result and went on to college instead of doing it and going straight into work with my "i'll take a year out" attitude, cos i tell ya what it's been a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong year :pac:

Sad Professor

Feels like yesterday that I was doing it. I think I had a bit of a meltdown during it actually. All the bs you have to listen to from people is unreal. My only advice to anyone doing it now is to tell everyone else to f**k off. Do well for yourself and nobody else, and don't allow yourself to get so stressed about it.

I remember a teacher trying to motivate us to do well by telling us about how housing prices were going up and rent was dead money. Don't have that to worry about anymore, I guess. lol.

Naikon

Yes. The leaving is piss in comparison to college imo. The leaving is mostly a memory test.

greenybaby

Naikon wrote: »

The leaving is mostly a memory test.

and college is what exactly? is it tattoo'd onto you so you never forget

Dangerous Man

I did it as well as college. Thing is though, as you get older, you come to realize that while the LC was important in getting you to college, it served very little purpose otherwise. You don't learn an awful lot that you can apply to your life after school.
Having said that, it's essential today to get an LC. You can't expect to get a job as easily these days without one.

Shivers26

10 years this year since I did mine :eek: When I think of all the pressure we put on ourselves though, pure madness. We also had once teacher that would give us a 'time to the leaving cert' in weeks and then days and then hours.

Then did 3 years of college and after that went to work full time. I actually started my first full time job the Monday after my last ever college exam which was on the Friday

Naikon

greenybaby wrote: »

and college is what exactly? is it tattoo'd onto you so you never forget

College has this "CA" nonsense though. I would banish most "CA" if I had my way. The only way you can prove someone knows their ****, is through exams.

CA is not conductive to cramming:o Worked for the leaving, not college.

rebel without a clue

did my leaving in 1999. made a balls of it. didnt do one bit of study. worked in supermarket and factory for a few years till i suddenly woke up and realised that if i want to get out of dead end jobs i need to go back to education. did a 2 year course in cork and got a job out of it. money is rubbish but im happy. factory work was hell.

greenybaby

Naikon wrote: »

College has this "CA" nonsense though. I would banish weekly "CA" if I had my way. The only way you can prove someone knows their ****, is through exams.

CA is not conductive to cramming:o Worked for the leaving, not college.

my point being that in order to pass even college exams it requires memory :pac:

i reckon if you are really into what you are studying then you will fly through it if not then you will stress out over it, must look about going to college in september as a mature student

staker

Did mine in 1991. Looking back it did make a big difference to where I am now, but jesus I hated school and books with a passion.

Show Time

rebel without a clue wrote: »

did my leaving in 1999. made a balls of it. didnt do one bit of study. worked in supermarket and factory for a few years till i suddenly woke up and realised that if i want to get out of dead end jobs i need to go back to education. did a 2 year course in cork and got a job out of it. money is rubbish but im happy. factory work was hell.

Back when i finished the leaving in 92' you would have needed to pass just to get those jobs in supermarkets and factories. A real mark of Celtic Tiger Ireland when jobs were hanging from trees like apples.:eek:

Naikon

Show Time wrote: »

Back when i finished the leaving in 92' you would have needed to pass just to get those jobs in supermarkets and factories. A real mark of Celtic Tiger Ireland when jobs were hanging from trees like apples.:eek:

With the way qualification inflation is going these days, you will soon need a PhD to shovel **** off the ground.