Is this crazy?

WhiteWalls

I have another thread set up on this in the education forum but here it goes. Basically I have done five years in college and now I have decided that I want to do something completely different.

It would basically mean me having to repeat my leaving cert and doing another 4 years in college. Should I get this idea out of my head? I'm 24 and think I would really like to join this new career

Hatchet Harry

What is your prospective career op?

WhiteWalls

Hatchet Harry wrote: »

What is your prospective career op?

Social Worker

Hatchet Harry

WhiteWalls wrote: »

Social Worker

Best of luck.

Clankatron

If you're still only 24 and if you're really sure you want to do it, then yes. Yes you should because you'll still be in your twenties when you're done. It won't be a walk in the park but your 30 year old self will thank you. I wish I'd had that motivation/cop on when I was 24.

joe swanson

No, don't do it. Waste of time

KeithM89

Don't bother, you'll be dead of ebola by the end of the first semester.

lm01

If you waited another two years and spent that time beefing up your credentials with voluntary work or relevant experience, could you apply as a mature student without having to go to the bother of resitting the LC?

Hatchet Harry

KeithM89 wrote: »

Don't bother, you'll be dead of ebola by the end of the first semester.

Very funny.

Paramite Pie

lm01 wrote: »

If you waited another two years and spent that time beefing up your credentials with voluntary work or relevant experience, could you apply as a mature student without having to go to the bother of resitting the LC?

He's already mature, he's 24.

OP, once you reach 23 you can apply as a mature student. This means you can interview/sit an entrance exam for the course regardless of how many points you have.

I don't understand why you'd have to resit the LC?

WhiteWalls

Paramite Pie wrote: »

He's already mature, he's 24.

OP, once you reach 23 you can apply as a mature student. This means you can interview/sit an entrance exam for the course regardless of how many points you have.

I don't understand why you'd have to resit the LC?

I know that but there would be people going for that who have years of experience relative to the job and this is something I don't have

lm01

Paramite Pie wrote: »

He's already mature, he's 24.

OP, once you reach 23 you can apply as a mature student. This means you can interview/sit an entrance exam for the course regardless of how many points you have.

I don't understand why you'd have to resit the LC?

My bad. Thought the cutoff was 26! In that case it seems definitely worth exploring this option rather than going the resit route.

WILL NEVER LOG OFF

op i graduated from university with people who graduated at 40 on their 2nd degree and 75k debts. Thy're happy now, because they love their careers.

Just be sure you want this kind of debt and commitment. You may no longer be eligible for free fees. You're only 24. Sit on it for this next year and get relevant experience.

RobYourBuilder

WhiteWalls wrote: »

I have another thread set up on this in the education forum but here it goes. Basically I have done five years in college and now I have decided that I want to do something completely different.

It would basically mean me having to repeat my leaving cert and doing another 4 years in college. Should I get this idea out of my head? I'm 24 and think I would really like to join this new career

Fast forward five years. If you don't go back and do the course you really like, you will regret it. You will be working in an industry you dislike, doing the 9-5 slog, regretting that you didn't bite the bullet and go back and study the subject that you would actually enjoy working in.

You will have to put some serious work in, but it shall be worth it in the end.

Buona Fortuna

WhiteWalls wrote: »

Social Worker

Hi OP

Not many people are trully sure what they want to do with their lives. Fair play to you if you have - go for it.

Couple of things though:

- repeating the LC sounds a bit meh. Almost like redoing your driving test so you can drive a bus

- had a friend who became a social worker in her mid 30s. She was always the one who was never fazed by anything - "Its only a bit of puke ffs" She said the things she saw were just horrendous and she quit in less than 2 years. This was about 25 years ago but people can still be total cnuts to each other.

Good Luck;)

somuj

You should ask around and see "what does the fox say?"

Sailor Lake

Just pray you don't change your mind when you finish this course too.

Bacchus

Sailor Lake wrote: »

Just pray you don't change your mind when you finish this course too.

Very funny. At 17/18, choosing your college course is a gamble... an educated gamble but still. You're still a child in the grand scheme of things and you're deciding what you want to do with your life (career wise). The OP is 24 now, a bit more mature and presumably more in touch with what he wants from life. Go for it OP if it's what you really want.

My wife, at 28, decided that, though she enjoyed her work, she wanted a career change to follow her real interests. She finished her studies (which she did while remaining in full time employment) back in May and is now working on taking the next steps. Her only regret is not doing this years ago.

Gannicus

WhiteWalls wrote: »

I have another thread set up on this in the education forum but here it goes. Basically I have done five years in college and now I have decided that I want to do something completely different.

It would basically mean me having to repeat my leaving cert and doing another 4 years in college. Should I get this idea out of my head? I'm 24 and think I would really like to join this new career

O/P. What is the course you're doing right now? Why don't you finish the course you are doing get the qualification and also re-apply as a mature student and in between do a load of charity work in the locality maybe try arrange an event yourself too. Look at it this way:

A) If the social Worker course ends up not working out you have a something to fall back on. (Especially if you finish the Social worker course and find it hard getting a job in the interim)

You'll have to pay for course two yourself in full. The gubberment only pay for your first course up to degree (correct me if I'm wrong) so this will all be out of your pocket

C) It would look better in the interview to have finished a course and then do some charity work. Depending on your interviewer they may look down on the fact that you dropped out of a course after 5 years and may question if you'd do the same on their course especially if asked why you left previous said course and you can't give them a solid unquestionable answer.

adocholiday

I did a complete career change at 24 and it was the best thing I ever did. Had a degree in a different discipline and working in a job I hated. Bit the bullet, did a 2 year conversion course which I had to pay for myself and fund my way through but it was the best thing I ever did. Those 2 years were so worth it. Now in a job I love and I've never looked back.

Make sure you do a lot of research in the area that you are going into OP. Ensure that there are enough job prospects and that you're sure it's something you want to do for the next 40 odd years. It's a big step to go back and start again so be reasonably sure it's the path you want to take. Best of luck to you

Tasden

What area of social work?
What experience do you have in relation to it, have you volunteered in something similar to what it is you're aiming towards?

Social work can be a pretty rough job depending on what it is you wanna do. There is so much red tape/limitations/financial constraints etc that a lot of people find it too frustrating/not as rewarding as they imagined because even if they know exactly how to help very often its not actually possible to do that. And that can be a huge factor in some people deciding its not for them, and its something that isn't always realised til you're on the job if you get me, it can be very disheartening.

You'll also need a full clean driver's license for most social worker positions- again depending on what exactly it is you mean by social work.

A lot of positions require your qualification to be one that is approved by the social work registration board, there are two undergrad courses on that afaik, cork and trinity i think but you'll have to google, the rest are post grad iirc. So keep that in mind when choosing your course, last thing you wanna do is delay things further by picking a course that requires you to do another one or two after. Also check out placement opportunities/policies in each of the colleges to see which one will offer you the best chance at experience during your studies, i think most are similar anyway but its worth having in the back of your head when deciding on one.

Hope this helps.

Shrap

WhiteWalls wrote: »

I know that but there would be people going for that who have years of experience relative to the job and this is something I don't have

OP, what have you got to lose by going for it regardless of not having the experience? Worst case scenario is that they say no, and then you could go on to gain more experience and try again. However, you might interview very well, your reasons for wanting to get into social work be so genuine and your level of human understanding may well shine through. I'd say go for it.

Also, fair play to you. It takes a big heart to even want to get into the area, but as other posters have said, burn out is a massive problem when you are on the front line of a system that doesn't see people's difficulties and approaches their issues from a financial bottom line perspective. You are basically signing yourself up to beat your head off a stone wall in order to help people. Somebody has to do it, that's for sure, but you will definitely need to acquire some self-care techniques ASAP.

Best of luck with it OP.

caustic 1

Listen you are 24, a baby in the grand scheme of things, whichever route of employment you chose to go down needs to be something you enjoy, because you will hopefully be a long time employed and it's awfully long day doing something you hate.

If you have a qualification now in what you were doing, go for it if you can afford it
If you don't, finish the current one first.
If you do start the new course try arrange meetings with current social workers who have spare time and are willing to talk you through what they do day to day, confidentiality kept of course - just maybe how hard or draining it is or any other qs you have
It'll help from a professional pov also

MsBubbles

+1 to what Bluewolf typed. Another option would be to volunteer with a charity like De Paul Ireland or Focus Ireland or Merchant's Quay Project.

This would give you a really good idea of what the work is like and provide you with valuable experience while you complete your education.

nelly17

WhiteWalls wrote: »

I know that but there would be people going for that who have years of experience relative to the job and this is something I don't have

I'm pretty sure Voulinteering would count

beks101

Ah you're still only a baba OP. If you're completely sure this is what you want to do it, go for it.

My little sister realized exactly what she wanted to do on finishing her undergrad at 22. It's quite specialized so she went back and spent a year swotting for the LC while the rest of her mates were pouring out of pubs at 3am, got astronomical points and is currently in her third year of a 5-year degree.

She sits in lectures, studies, sits exams and works every hour god gave her and has never been as stressed but is a million times happier than she was when she was enrolled in the wrong course.

Best of luck!

Cupcake_Crisis

Op, I was working odd jobs when I was 24, had a qualification that I didn't want to do anything with, so I went back into education/training and it was the best move I ever made. Im now working towards a job I will actually enjoy! If its genuinely something you have a passion for then go for it!

Egginacup

WhiteWalls wrote: »

I have another thread set up on this in the education forum but here it goes. Basically I have done five years in college and now I have decided that I want to do something completely different.

It would basically mean me having to repeat my leaving cert and doing another 4 years in college. Should I get this idea out of my head? I'm 24 and think I would really like to join this new career

What subject/points is required by a Social Work college course that would stipulate that you must resit the LC again and that would not be covered by your existing Leaving Cert AND 5 YEARS in college?

I can understand that someone who scraped a bare minimum LC to get into an arts course studying Medieval History but then after two years became a new person and discovered that they had a natural talent for Biology or Physics but it wasn't taught at their secondary school (or the teacher was a ****). They decided they wanted to do a Science degree but entry to such a degree course demanded a LC higher level grade in at least one of the Sciences as well as honours Maths...so back to the LC would be the only option.

Why do YOU have to do your LC again? What is the requirement?

Drakares

lm01 wrote: »

If you waited another two years and spent that time beefing up your credentials with voluntary work or relevant experience, could you apply as a mature student without having to go to the bother of resitting the LC?

This. However you can already apply as a mature student. Age is 23 and over.

todders

k_t11 wrote: »

Hi OP,

I am a social worker and have come across people both on my masters and in work whose undergrads had nothing to do with social work coming from IT, art history and business backgrounds!

My advice is do a 1 year social policy hdip and volunteer wherever you can to boost your experience even if its working with the local youth club it all counts. I have met a number of social workers who have done the hdip then got into the masters. This will take you three years but volunteering will be important to getting on the masters, I think most courses ask for something like 600 hours of social based exp or volunteering.

4 months late, you're a social worker alright!

The_Valeyard

todders wrote: »

4 months late, you're a social worker alright!

Giggling to that!

Collie D

k_t11 wrote: »

I'm sorry has the new academic year started already? Has OP indicated that they have already made a decision?

If you haven't anything positive to add why post?

Lighten up. It was a joke. Also, the poster you quoted shouldn't be the one you're taking offence to anyway

The_Valeyard

k_t11 wrote: »

I'm sorry has the new academic year started already? Has OP indicated that they have already made a decision?

If you haven't anything positive to add why post?

I'm playing the worlds saddest song here.

Firstly it's AH....answers are dubious at best.
Secondly his post was very funny.
Thirdly I like to post in AH, May not be always useful, funny, intelligent, or comprehensible, but I like to think I contribute in my own small way.

dublinjen

Hi OP

Well I suppose I should start by saying i did this two years ago! I was doing a really prestigious course and decided that i was painfully unhappy and left. ( I was almost finished that course)

It was hands down the greatest decision I ever made. I dont believe most 18 year olds are equiped to decide what career they want but at 23/24 you have a lot more self awareness.

I'm now in the last few months of my new course and can truly say I have no regrets.

Some things you may not know - I think youll be classed as a mature student at 24, LC points wont matter, colleges have places available for mature students in most courses. Also the fact that you have previous studies may qualify you for advanced entry (yr 2/3) if not you may be able to do a part year course or diploma which would help with that.

Go to the course coordinators of the courses you are interested in and speak to them, not the admissions office! speak to the head of school directly and show them how passionate and sure you are about this change.

Finally, I've found that employers often see this as a positive (if you paint it correctly). It shows an incredible amoutn of self awareness, work ethic and drive to go back to college!