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.