Expected to go to college but no interest in the courses and college life

SirMeow

So.
Im in 6th year and this is the year that breaks and makes me. For the last couple of years I knew I wanted to do something in the IT department. At the start of 5th year I had Games Development in mind. Then Media/TV popped up and both seemed interesting. It then hit me that coding is not my thing. I simply do not enjoy that part to IT. Also for the gaming possibly over half of game developing jobs do not require a degree but a portfolio. Yes a degree would help impress but they dont care, if the portfolio is **** you dont get the job. So I ended up scrapping that course. Basically at the same time I realized TV/Media would not be beneficial. Not worth the time and money. I considered Media/tv as I am interested in the film industry and having a job in it would not be to bad. I thought deeply about it and realized the degree is basically not needed for the route I wanted to take in the industry. It is either hard work or the chance you fit the role for a big movie. I also did research into timetables and what they do throughout the year and realized I already knew how to do the majority of the and if something I didnt know came up I knew I could easily search a Youtube tutorial or use google. This also relates to the Games Development. So yet again another option scrapped.

I then thought about other jobs that an IT course would provide for me. I did my research and the majority were office jobs. I simply am not interested in an office job and turning something that was fun and interesting into linear crap.
People have tried arguing to me that I should go anyway for the knowledge but as stated I know I have the ability to work more efficiently on my own.
The only way I see for myself is the entrepreneur life. This way is alot more riskier than the overly preached clear route of college, but high risk high reward. This is the route I would like to take. Although I want to chose this route but my school,staff and even class mates are almost preaching the college life to me condescendingly telling me im just going to become a poor bum leaching off the government. This is obviously the mind set our school system and older generations plant into students.
I am fully aware I am young and probably have chemical imbalances in my brain which creates the bipolarness towards careers but this is just the typical development stage of being human.

Am I right to choose what I want to do and follow the high risk high reward life or do you think in your own opinion I need college to succeed in life?.

As you already know I enjoy Media, TV/Film industry and anything IT minus coding.
About myself, I enjoy helping people and making them smile. My class mates consider me a "comedian" in more of a positive way. Im not the guy at the back of the class throwing planes. I like to joke with the teacher not about. I enjoy psychological stuff but I do not want to dedicate myself to it. I prefer it more as a hobby.

I would like opinions and recommendations for people who care enough.

For any grammar mistakes or poor English pardon my French as It is quite late.

Daftendirekt

If college doesn't appeal to you, and you haven't got something specific in mind that you'd like to do, then I would recommend at the very least taking a year out after your LC.

Don't feel like third level education is a matter of now or never. I think that there's a lot to be said for going to college when you're a little bit older and more able to appreciate it.

My advice: don't rule out the idea altogether but don't feel obliged to go straight from school to college either. Take a year out to work and figure out what you want to do. Hell, take two or three years if you really want to. You're still young and there's no rush. After that, you might decide that the college thing definitely isn't for you, or you might discover something that excites you enough to spend three or four years studying it.

randylonghorn

SirMeow wrote: »

The only way I see for myself is the entrepreneur life.

If you feel you have an entrepreneurial flair, would you consider a course geared specifically towards this area, e.g. this one?

djpbarry

SirMeow wrote: »

Im in 6th year and this is the year that breaks and makes me. For the last couple of years I knew I wanted to do something in the IT department. At the start of 5th year I had Games Development in mind. Then Media/TV popped up and both seemed interesting. It then hit me that coding is not my thing. I simply do not enjoy that part to IT.

It seems like you’re throwing an awful lot under the very vague heading of IT here! Coding, games development, TV and media are all pretty loose headings in themselves, but they could all be interpreted as being rather different from each other. The fact that you’re kind of lumping them all together suggests to me that you need to do a bit more research into each.

SirMeow wrote: »

Also for the gaming possibly over half of game developing jobs do not require a degree but a portfolio. Yes a degree would help impress but they dont care…

Oh, careful now. See this is what I mean about you needing to do a bit more research. Sure, you might not need a degree to work in games development (the same is true of pretty much any industry really), but without a degree, you’re going to need one hell of a portfolio to wow people with.

SirMeow wrote: »

I also did research into timetables and what they do throughout the year and realized I already knew how to do the majority of the and if something I didnt know came up I knew I could easily search a Youtube tutorial or use google. This also relates to the Games Development.

Now you’re starting to sound a bit arrogant. You think Google is a substitute for third-level education?

SirMeow wrote: »

I did my research and the majority were office jobs. I simply am not interested in an office job and turning something that was fun and interesting into linear crap.

Well, I’ve got news for you. Even if you land yourself the most creative job in the universe, you’re going to spend a fair bit of your time sitting at a computer.

All this said, I would agree with Daftendirekt – if you don’t know what you want to do right now then it’s probably best to put third-level off for now and get yourself a job after your leaving cert. But, bear in mind that it’s pretty unlikely you’ll be able to land yourself a job you’re really interested in to begin with – it’s going to be a bit of a slog at first.

TheArtOfNoise

Here's my advice OP: I've worked at 33 jobs since doing my leaving cert. Proper tax paying jobs, never free work...IT, Media, Retail and motor industry are the areas I've covered. This is the last 30 years. I've studied at 8 colleges too all in Dublin, but I never got a degree. Jobs in order from 1983 onwards:

Part-time Shop Assistant
Part-time Kitchen Porter
Part-time Kitchen Porter
Full-TimeShipping Operator in Fashion Manufacturer
Full-Time Shipping Operator / Van Drivers Assistant
Part-time Shop Assistant
Full-time Shop Assistant
TV and Film Production Runner
Computer Graphics Designer
Microfiche Photographer

Computer Graphics Designer
Playback Studio Technician
Cassette Tape Production Technican
Trainee Sound Engineer
Furniture Restoration/ Sales Assistant
Genealogy Database Operator/ Photographer
Jewellery Sales Assistant
Boom Op/Cameraman/Video Editor/Tippling Gadabout!
Record Shop Sales Assistant
Computer Graphics Designer
Multimedia Evaluation Engineer
Sound Studio Technical and Recording Manager

Video Cameraman Weddings
Film, TV, Radio, Animation College Technician
Freelance Sound Studio Recording Engineer
Restaurant Startup Manager
Trainee Vespa Mechanic
Van Driver Courier
Van Driver Courier
Media Supplies Delivery Driver
Motorbike Mechanic/ Shop Manager
Retail Delivery Driver
Independant Radio Producer Documentaries
Motorbike Courier
Film Extra
Unemployed again...2015!

The shortest job was 3 days, the longest about 3.5 years...I was on the dole for a year or 2 during this period too.

My advice is to talk to some older people you like, maybe your dads friends, uncles, aunts, a neighbour and ask them about their life experiences and how they went along and where they had to compromise and where they had to persue something along the way.

Think hard about your hobbies, what's your favourite? Maybe you could do it professionally in some way. Study a 1 year course in it as opposed to 3 long years. Sometimes the ancillary or lesser subjects on a course are the ones you end up really liking and get the job at. So keep an open mind...

Travel.

Learn to drive a car or motorbike as soon as you can. It will open up things jobswise and more importantly socially for you.

If you're interested in media join "Film Extras.ie" and see how things work on a film set. Again the Extra' themselves are probably more interesting than the tech crew and they are such a diverse bunch of all ages and generally interested in Arts and Media that they will give you insights and ideas just chatting to them.

Most of the interesting people in life I've met either never went to college or failed it!!