Did you make the right choice with regards to college?

_Bella_

A lot of Leaving Cert students are making their CAO choices this week. Like a lot of them I am wondering if I am making the right choice both with regards to course and college. So I am wondering do you feel you made the right choice the first time around or not, and if not why. Also if not, where you able to transfer/ change the direction of your career and do you have any regrets?

sheesh

No I did not.
next question?


First!

Temptamperu

Nope, terrible life choices all around. Thanks for the reminder I hate my life.

Mr.Crinklewood

No.

Schwiiing

I went to LIT.

I always laughed when UL people called us Losers In Training.

I'm not laughing anymore.

theteal

Negative. How little I knew when filling out that form. . .

flutterflye

Well I didn't really have a choice regarding college.
Had other responsibilities.
Each time I've gone to go back, I end up unwell, so still haven't gotten a degree.
I'm going to try again next year though.

Captain Graphite

No, I didn't do the right course. I did a joint degree in Math & Physics at UCC. If I could go back in time I'd either have done a straight Maths degree or else gone down the chemistry route. I'd also have gone to Trinity instead of UCC.

Fortunately, the math half of my course was enough to get me into an MSc in Nottingham, so if that goes well then I can't really regret it too much.

It is really tough to choose something at 17 or 18 that you're supposed to focus on for the rest of your life. I know it's never too late to change your career focus but picking the right course when you fill your CAO is a massive help.

Where To

Yep, I put my PHD to good use every day as I drive drunk farts home and spout random sh1te on boards

im invisible

i made the right choice about the course and college to go to, it was while i was there that i chose going out every night over doing any actual study, thats where i went wrong...

Shryke

God No! I'm looking at going back as a mature student. I won't find out until July 4th. I'm very unsure as to whether I'll place so if not this year then next year. If I had the cash reserves to make a proper go at emigrating I'd probably do that but I fancy getting qualified in a field I like.
College is wasted on people leaving secondary. There should be mandatory labor schemes in between secondary and third level to give people a taste of the real world. :pac:

Shryke

Where To wrote: »

Yep, I put my PHD to good use every day as I drive drunk farts home and spout random sh1te on boards

What's your phd in?

Ficheall

Nope. But had I made the other choice, I would still have thought the same thing. At least now I'm sufficiently qualified to know that this was not the path for me :cool:

Fizzlesque

Didn't go to college. I couldn't wait to get out of school - couldn't wait to move out of home either so college wasn't part of my plan at all, not that there was any money available for me to go to college back then. I wouldn't have known what to study if going to college had been possible.

I don't regret not going to college at all - instead I travelled a lot and then when I returned to Ireland (six years later) I did a few courses here and there, got a few jobs here and there and now, 25 years later, have a mish mash of skills on my CV.....enough to keep me in employment, and a few more just for the hell of having learned them

I know quite a few people who went to college straight after school and then realised, either half way through or when they finished, that they'd absolutely no interest in the subject they'd chosen.

Big Nasty

No I didn't.

I think 16/17 is too young for a lot of kids to decide what they want to do with the rest of their lives.

Uriel.

Yes and No.

Initially, I made a wrong choice and eventually dropped out.
But the fact that was doing a degree course at the time helped me in two ways:

1. My current employer gave me a job on the basis that I was in college (not just this alone but it contributed a lot)
2. It helped me get into the course I eventually finished and got my undergrad in.

So while in some ways I wasted a few yrs of my life it worked out ok in the end. But that was just luck. If I could go back I would have done things very differently.

Off to do my post grad in September in a completely unrelated field:rolleyes:

christmas2012

no

GLaDOS

Getting my final year results this thursday, but I'm happy with my decision as of now.

danniemcq

regretted it, looking back i should have resat my leaving and went elsewhere (was in Sligo but wanted Galway)

although if i had done that would i know be earning in a decent job, and would i be going out with my GF of 5 years had i not...

hard to tell when life plays out

My name is URL

I probably could have made better choices. Done a BA in Media Studies and have never really had a job which depended on having that. I don't regret it however, at the end of the day I learned a fair bit. I hadn't a clue what I wanted to do with my life when I was 17.. I'm 28 now and I'm still not sure!

Where To

Shryke wrote: »

What's your phd in?

Media Production

Big Nasty

Thread could do with a poll.

christmas2012

In fairness college can be a bit of a lottery,you never know in four years (degree time) or two years (diploma time) that the jobs are still going to be there..

Phill Ewinn

_Bella_ wrote: »

A lot of Leaving Cert students are making their CAO choices this week. Like a lot of them I am wondering if I am making the right choice both with regards to course and college. So I am wondering do you feel you made the right choice the first time around or not, and if not why. Also if not, where you able to transfer/ change the direction of your career and do you have any regrets?

Got a job and went to college at night. Don't regret it and will do the same probably for my next ''career''. Can't see how so many people are attending full time courses.

Four or five years is a waste of time unless you're a doctor or something.

Mr. K

I really regretted my choice of degree (Public Administration), but I stuck it out and it got me into a Masters in an area I love (Journalism). So it's worked out pretty well!

megaten

God no.

Ishmael

Its hard to say really, I know there are other courses now that i would find more interesting than the one i did, however, i'm happy with the one i chose overall.

The best thing i can suggest for anyone choosing is to pick the course based on the subjects you enjoy rather than what your friends are doing or what you're told will earn you the most money when you finish.

Chips Ahoy

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Thread could do with a poll.

Ah come now, lay of the Polish they're an alright bunch.

Has Euro 2012 thought you nothing?

SusieBlue

No, definitely not.

Currently studying Law and I absolutely hate it, I find it very boring and uninteresting but I can't afford to start a different course, fees are too expensive.

I agree that 17/18 year olds are too young to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives.

The only reason I didn't drop out in 1st year was because I couldn't bear the thought of wasting so much money on fees and I didn't want to disappoint my parents.

Unfortunately I'm stuck with it now so I'm trying my best but finding it very difficult. No other choice but to continue on, this is my only chance at 3rd level education and I can't ruin it.

Uriel.

WhiteRoses wrote: »

No, definitely not.

Currently studying Law and I absolutely hate it, I find it very boring and uninteresting but I can't afford to start a different course, fees are too expensive.

I agree that 17/18 year olds are too young to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives.

The only reason I didn't drop out in 1st year was because I couldn't bear the thought of wasting so much money on fees and I didn't want to disappoint my parents.

Unfortunately I'm stuck with it now so I'm trying my best but finding it very difficult. No other choice but to continue on, this is my only chance at 3rd level education and I can't ruin it.

that's pity. fair play to you for sticking at it. I was in a similar boat to you (not law) but luckily I got a second chance.

Well done though and best of luck

El Siglo

My degree was alright, the masters was pretty good and we'll see how mad this phd drives me...

I think the pressure people (teachers, parents etc...) put you under to pick a course is probably worse than the pressure of the actual exams. I hadn't a clue what I was interested in and still vaguely have a clue of what interests me. 16/17 is a ridiculous age to be making that choice, we should do what Germany and Austria does and have a year of zivildienst (community service workers as opposed to army conscription). At least then you get a year of making some money, learn some new skills and figure out what interests you besides working as a paramedic or in a nursing home.

Ficheall

WhiteRoses wrote: »

The only reason I didn't drop out in 1st year was because I couldn't bear the thought of wasting so much money on fees and I didn't want to disappoint my parents.

Yon stubbornness is dodgy. I wanted to drop out in first year, but here I am, seven years later, still working on the same aul' ****e...

Jester252

College the place you go to find out what you really what to do

Odysseus

College was spot on for me, though I did'nt get there until I was 27.

Big Nasty

Yeah but the point is you're sat down at 15/16 and made fill out CAO / CAS forms and there's a good chance you won't have a whole lot of interest in the choices you're making.

Wouldn't it be a whole lot better if you were sat down when you begin secondary and asked 'what do you want to do when you grow up'? I'm not saying an 11/12 year old can possibly know what they want to do with the rest of their life but there's a strong chance they will have already developed passions that they will persue for much of their life.

For example if the 11/12 year old answered 'I want to be a race car driver' they're obviously in to cars. Even though that would be a very difficult career to persue a good guidance counsellor would (IMO) advise that they take metalwork and woodwork as opposed to geography and French or whatever. They should also advise the child to look forward to getting a part time / summer job at the nearest karting track (karting is where many race drivers begin their careers). The kid is now persuing their current passion and has a much better chance of following their chosen or at least related career. By the time the kid hits 15/16 and it's CAO / CAS time they might realise that racing driving is a bit of a long shot but mechanical engineering or automotive design would enable them to work in an industry they are passionate about.

This is not what's happening in this country IMO. Instead it appears there's a lot of people out there doing jobs they don't relate to in order to cover the bills. Has to be more to life than that.

dyl10

Yes, I suppose. I went into UCD and jumped around a lot of things before I stumbled on to what I liked and now I'm happy with where I am today.

Most of us don't really know what we're getting into when we pick our CAO.

panda100

I definitely didn't do the right course for me. Studied medicine in UCD,dropped out after four years.
I chose the course because my brother was on it at the time, and he was having a great craic. I also knew I'd get the points, and medicine was the course everyone wanted to get into. Absolutely terrible reasons for choosing a course. I wish I had done sociology or social science.

It is not fair to make 17 year olds choose what they want to do for the rest of their lives. If I have kids I will tell them to leave college until they have some life experience under their belts.

tatabubbly

Not happy at all with my career choices, did a general science degree and then a masters but i still aren't skilled enough in my area. I would have loved to be a gp but i would have never got 600 points in my leaving cert

Mars Bar

Schwiiing wrote: »

I went to LIT.

I always laughed when UL people called us Losers In Training.

I'm not laughing anymore.

That's what they called us? I did not know that!

Answering the question, no I don't think I did. Well, I'm glad I got to try and find out and it seemed like the right thing until the final year.

_Bella_

Thanks for all your replies. Surprised (and worried!) to see how many of you have made the wrong choice. What factors do you think lead to this wrong decision? Was it because you didn't really know what your course entailed, or did you feel pressure to do a certain course? Whatever your reasons are I would be really grateful if you could share your experiences.

eth0

Not too bad so far. Glad I didn't get my first choice though (social studies)

mackg

I did Chemistry because I enjoyed the subject, a lot of that was down to having a really good teacher in school. Course turned out to be different in a lot of ways to what I expected, but it was unexpectedly good! Considering a phd at the moment although trying to find work or going abroad are tempting options also. If I ever bump into that teacher I'm going to say thanks.

orchidsrpretty

Although I was pretty old leaving school(19, nearly 20) I still didn't pick the right course. I studied photonics in tralee IT. After that I studied media and cultural studies in DKIT, which was also ****.
Went back to college as a mature student and studied accountancy and HR, which I enjoyed but still didn't get me a 'proper' job. I am now 28 and still have no clue what I want to do.
I also think there should be a mandatory 1 year break between finishing school and starting college, as for some people who make the wrong choice in first year may not be able to afford to drop out and start again. It is such a waste of money for the government.

Mr. CooL ICE

No. When I was younger, i loved working with/fixing/modifying computers and chose computer engineering but seriously struggled my way through it. Afterwards, I really wish I had done law or business which is weird considering the idea of those to a 16/17 year old me was too boring to fathom.

When people find out what I did in college, the conversation usually leads towards something like "oh, my laptop is making funny noises recently. whats causing it?" :mad:

Nope. I should have gone to college and done mechanical engineering, but life had other plans and I ended up doing IT. I'm seriously considering going to do it at night.

babyfratelli_x

I am actually very happy with my course choice, although I have only just finished up my postgrad, so I may look back in ten years and wish I'd done something else but I really dont think so.

I done an Arts degree in NUIG. Legal Science (Law) and Irish and studied Geography and Soc and Pol in 1st year too. I loved it, and the choice of subjects helped because I wasnt exactly sure what I wanted to do but I had a rough idea.

First year was pretty easy so I went out a lot and had a lot of fun while still gettin good marks. Good bit harder in 2nd and 3rd year but still went out a lot and done well enough in exams.

Done a postgrad in Law then (LLB) and Im now eligible to take the entrance exams for the Kings Inns so I can train as a barrister which is pretty much the only thing I can see me doing with my life.

However I want to do a Masters in Criminology first, and think I have the results to get into the course. We shall see soon enough

Im glad I went down the Arts route as opposeed to BCL, and although many people may think an Irish degree is a bit useless, particularly if I dont want to be a teacher, I got 2 really good part time jobs from the Irish part of my degree so Im glad to have done it, although there were times that I really hated it.

Lustrum

I wanted to get into the Air Corps and had absolutely no intention of ever going to college. However the Air Corps didn't work out, and at the request of the mammy I had Arts in UCD down on my CAO as my only choice, so I ended up in UCD. Had a rubbish year, passed my 1st year exams and just didn't go back. After a few years in employment I ended up going back to college and did something related to what I was working at, so maybe the 2nd time around I got it right.

From my experience, if college is what you want then go for it, otherwise it would be worth waiting a few years to figure out what you want to do, then go back to college and enjoy it. Also, don't be afraid to look abroad - we're not adventurous enough if you ask me, there's very few Irish that go abroad for their full degrees and it should be considered more as an option

meabhaline

Shryke wrote: »

God No! I'm looking at going back as a mature student. I won't find out until July 4th. I'm very unsure as to whether I'll place so if not this year then next year. If I had the cash reserves to make a proper go at emigrating I'd probably do that but I fancy getting qualified in a field I like.
College is wasted on people leaving secondary. There should be mandatory labor schemes in between secondary and third level to give people a taste of the real world. :pac:

I'm going back as a mature student in September, I've gotten word back from some of the colleges I have applied for (got a place in my first choice so JOY) Give the admission office a buzz and they might tell you if you've been offered a place rather than waiting.

Andy-Pandy

I only went to college when i was 32, going into 4th year now and i can honestly say it is the single best decision that i have ever made. I love what im studying (horticulture), i love the job opportunity's that will be available once i finish, and i love being a student. I'm going to do a master's once I finish my degree, and after my master's i am going to move to some place beautiful that's beside the ocean and spend my days working with flowers and tree's.

So yes, it's been the right choice.

Tigger

If I knew then I'd have become a pilot it costed about 70 grand punt back then
Great job to have had and I could have become senior before it became less great

But if I knew then I'd have bought property in 93 like some of my mates and sold portfolios 10 years later for millions like they did

Fecking carpenters with one years training and a couple of mill clear by 30

Or business I should have done business

If a person wants to do a technical course they should
Be warned that it will lad to a factory job

Fluorescence

Like lots of people here, I made a bad choice with my course. At 17, I decided to study what I liked and enjoyed which is Music and Literature. So I went to UCD and did 2 years of that before realising that while I love both subjects, studying them is absolutely pants. Academia is terribly dry. I don't regret it though.

Now I'm in Comp Sci, with an eye towards becoming a software developer, and I'm happy with my lot. Yeah, sure, I have to pay higher fees for fucking up, and I'll be in my mid-twenties by the time I graduate, but it's ok. Life doesn't need to be perfect

So don't stress too much about whether or not you made the right choices. Go to college, have a good time, study hard and if you think you wanna change to something else, have the courage to do so. It'll all work out in the end