Course/ career advice? :)

greenpyjamas

Hi all! I'm heading into my Leaving Cert next year and I'm starting to worry about college courses. Tbh I'm quite confused as to where I stand with what I want to do. I like all of my subjects except Maths, with English and History probably being my favourites. I have an interest in languages, and I do well in Irish, French and Japanese. I don't want to be a teacher. I have always been interested in art and music, and recently I started looking at courses in Film, Visual Culture (which would also incorporate my writing) etc but I'm really not sure which direction I should go.
Any advice/ suggestions are appreciated! Thanks!

dazzy123

I was in the exact same boat as you at the start of 6th year and what I'd advise is to go to as many open days etc as you can throughout the year and ask lots of questions about all the different areas you're interested in. This may help you get a feel for the courses and clarify which ones you're most interested in. Also, have a look through the prospectuses of whichever colleges you'd be going to if you haven't already. It can give you an idea if you'd like the course
Lastly, it's good that you're thinking about this so early. Come the mocks, you'll be so busy you don't need the stress of which course to pick hanging over you. Good luck!

greenpyjamas

dazzy123 wrote: »

I was in the exact same boat as you at the start of 6th year and what I'd advise is to go to as many open days etc as you can throughout the year and ask lots of questions about all the different areas you're interested in. This may help you get a feel for the courses and clarify which ones you're most interested in. Also, have a look through the prospectuses of whichever colleges you'd be going to if you haven't already. It can give you an idea if you'd like the course
Lastly, it's good that you're thinking about this so early. Come the mocks, you'll be so busy you don't need the stress of which course to pick hanging over you. Good luck!

Marking off the dates for open days now! Thank you!

randylonghorn

I agree about the open days.

Also, for now, maybe tackle it from a different direction?

Lie back and day-dream: what kind of job would you like to have in 6-7 years time, or what would you like to be doing?

Don't limit it to just one thing, brainstorm and jot down any specific jobs or even general areas that would interest you and that seem to suit you. Maybe afterwards attempt some rough kind of prioritisation if you end up with a long list.

Then start doing a little bit of research on how you might get there, what courses might open the door or equip you with the skills needed.

And then ofc we're back to the open days, but more immediately websites (both for courses but also to generally research more about those jobs) and maybe talking to people who work in the area, etc., etc.

Summer, when you might have a bit of spare time on your hands, is actually a good time to think about this and do a bit of reading and research around the area. As dazzy quite rightly said, next year you will be swamped by a myriad other things.

greenpyjamas

randylonghorn wrote: »

I agree about the open days.

Also, for now, maybe tackle it from a different direction?

Lie back and day-dream: what kind of job would you like to have in 6-7 years time, or what would you like to be doing?

Don't limit it to just one thing, brainstorm and jot down any specific jobs or even general areas that would interest you and that seem to suit you. Maybe afterwards attempt some rough kind of prioritisation if you end up with a long list.

Then start doing a little bit of research on how you might get there, what courses might open the door or equip you with the skills needed.

And then ofc we're back to the open days, but more immediately websites (both for courses but also to generally research more about those jobs) and maybe talking to people who work in the area, etc., etc.

Summer, when you might have a bit of spare time on your hands, is actually a good time to think about this and do a bit of reading and research around the area. As dazzy quite rightly said, next year you will be swamped by a myriad other things.

Thank you!