Options after leaving cert

Dwellerstew

So I just got my results back and I got 239points, I thought I was able to apply for a level 7 course but once I found out that I couldn't really apply for any course since I only passed 4 subjects out of 7. I don't know what is going to happen now, if I will be offered any place anywhere tbh, which I don't think will happen, so I was wondering if there are any other alternatives, I just don't want to do a PLC or repeat the year and do another year in secondary school, are there any other possibilities for me at this point? Am I able to apply to study abroad, can I do another subject or 2 on the side and still apply for a level 7, or a level 8 (which is not really possible in Ireland for sure with the points I got), any suggestions are appreciated, and btw my goal is to do computing for a level 7 or a level 8 ( a level 8 would be better but I'm fine with a level 7)

user53

Dwellerstew wrote: »

So I just got my results back and I got 239points, I thought I was able to apply for a level 7 course but once I found out that I couldn't really apply for any course since I only passed 4 subjects out of 7. I don't know what is going to happen now, if I will be offered any place anywhere tbh, which I don't think will happen, so I was wondering if there are any other alternatives, I just don't want to do a PLC or repeat the year and do another year in secondary school, are there any other possibilities for me at this point? Am I able to apply to study abroad, can I do another subject or 2 on the side and still apply for a level 7, or a level 8 (which is not really possible in Ireland for sure with the points I got), any suggestions are appreciated, and btw my goal is to do computing for a level 7 or a level 8 ( a level 8 would be better but I'm fine with a level 7)

If you want a level 7 or 8 in computing but don't meet the minimum entry requirements for any level 7 or 8 computing courses, the best thing to do is a PLC or repeat the LC.

Btw was that other account that got banned yours?

trihead

Do a QQI level 5 in computing and if you do well apply you can apply for direct entry to level 7 or 8 Degree course at DIT / UCD / ITs

Check out https://www.fetchcourses.ie to search for courses in your area

Best of luck!

Dwellerstew

Can I do this PLC part time since I would like to also get a part time job, and if I do a PLC can I apply to enter the 2nd year straight away? Trihead

Dwellerstew

user53 wrote: »

If you want a level 7 or 8 in computing but don't meet the minimum entry requirements for any level 7 or 8 computing courses, the best thing to do is a PLC or repeat the LC.

Btw was that other account that got banned yours?

I clearly stated that repeating the leaving cert is not an option for me since I that would require another year of stress, but for a PLC I can consider it, and btw if I got 239 points can I apply next year for computing in DCU which is 400? And what is the time schedule for PLC

c6ysaphjvqw41k

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user53

Dwellerstew wrote: »

I clearly stated that repeating the leaving cert is not an option for me since I that would require another year of stress, but for a PLC I can consider it, and btw if I got 239 points can I apply next year for computing in DCU which is 400? And what is the time schedule for PLC

You also said PLCs weren't an option? But if you want to do a level 7/8 you'd have to do one or the other.

If you do a PLC and qualify for a course the CAO points don't apply to you so technically yes you could, presuming the DCU course is linked to the PLC course you're doing and you get the required grades in the PLC course.

As for the timetable, it depends on what course you do and where, best to ask the individual PLC colleges.

Dwellerstew

user53 wrote: »

You also said PLCs weren't an option? But if you want to do a level 7/8 you'd have to do one or the other.

If you do a PLC and qualify for a course the CAO points don't apply to you so technically yes you could, presuming the DCU course is linked to the PLC course you're doing and you get the required grades in the PLC course.

As for the timetable, it depends on what course you do and where, best to ask the individual PLC colleges.

I don't think I put any PLC courses on my cao, what do I do if that the case?

user53

Dwellerstew wrote: »

I don't think I put any PLC courses on my cao, what do I do if that the case?

PLCs aren't applied for through the CAO, contact the PLC colleges directly, you'll probably have to have a pass in maths for computing and an interview with them for getting accepted.

Edit: here's a link for Colaiste Dhulaigh as an example PLC, (2years) requires a pass in maths and can put you into 2nd year of DIT computing or computer science or ITB - http://www.qualifax.ie/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=194?Mainsec=courses&Subsec=course_details&ID=1955

lazybones32

I sat one exam the year after, to build up points, without going to school for the year. You can look into that but most colleges will require 5 passes meaning you will have to resit at least one exam.

PLC isn't as bad as some think. It can give you practical experience of what the topic is actually about (lots of college students change course in and after first year) It pretty much is like the first year in certain IT's.

You could seek work and wait until 21 and apply as mature student but they'll want to have seen you working in the area you want to study.

A career guidance counsellor will have more options available.

Markcheese

Plc course will keep you out of the leaving cert rat race and stress, and give you a lot of college experience..to lead you to your course of choice..
No point doing a degree and regretting your subject choice..

Dwellerstew

So if I do a PLC I will be able to apply next year to enter into 2nd year of uni, ( I have dcu computer application in mind) do I have to achieve a certain grade in the PLC courses?

august12

Can you list out your results and we will come back with suggestions.

Should also add, what courses did you select on cao and we can also check the minimum requirement under qualifax website, list the course codes?

Dwellerstew

My first 2 options were for dcu computer application and for dkit computing but I changed dkit computing to my first option because I was afraid that I wouldn't get it,
I got h6 in maths and French, h5 in English, and h4 in history, in physics and chemistry I got a h8 and in Irish I got an O7, so don't remember the other coursed exactly but I hope this helps

SarahVOW

If you want to work in IT you could also look at CompTIA courses and the likes. I have a friend who didn't do 3rd level but got lots of different industry IT certs such as CompTIA and got in that way.

If you were able to get an entry tech support call centre job and get these certs on the side you could build up to higher IT job prospects that way or at very least have you as a strong candidate for when you're old enough to apply as a mature student.

spurious

Dwellerstew wrote: »

So if I do a PLC I will be able to apply next year to enter into 2nd year of uni, ( I have dcu computer application in mind) do I have to achieve a certain grade in the PLC courses?

No. You will not be able to go into 2nd year after a one year PLC.
If you do a 2 year PLC there may be an option to go into second year of a course, but at the moment you would be using a PLC to get the entry requirements you failed to get this year, so a one year PLC would allow you to enter a linked course. Not all courses have a PLC entry option, so you would need to check that out.

The demand for places through PLC entry means that realistically you would need distinctions in all modules (and even then a place is not guaranteed).

The other option is to repeat the LC and get the points you need.

c6ysaphjvqw41k

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Dwellerstew

I got 239 points in the leaving cert passing maths and English and another 2 subjects, meaning I only passed 4 subjects and failed another 3 including irish, if I were to do a PLC course for computing since my first option was Computer application in DCU (DC 121,course code), will I be able to apply for a place in the 2nd year of this course if I complete my PLC and also do I have to be a mature student to apply for this or not, since I'm only 18 years old atm not close at all to 23, and if all of these answers go my way, what grades do I have to get in the PLC to be able to apply for a place in 2nd year ( specifically in DCU computer applications) and to be accepted, hopefully I can get some honest, good responses

Teyla Emmagan

Dwellerstew wrote:

So if I do a PLC I will be able to apply next year to enter into 2nd year of uni, ( I have dcu computer application in mind) do I have to achieve a certain grade in the PLC courses?

I doubt it, but ring them and ask. It's more likely you could have to go into first year, if they even take you.

randylonghorn

Dwellerstew wrote: »

... hopefully I can get some honest, good responses

You have got some honest, good responses above, you're just ignoring them if you don't like them.

I suppose at least you're not throwing a tantrum and calling people names like last night!!

Dwellerstew wrote: »

If I were to do a PLC course for computing since my first option was Computer application in DCU (DC 121,course code), will I be able to apply for a place in the 2nd year of this course if I complete my PLC

No, not with a one-year PLC, you will be looking at using it for admission only instead of your LC ... as spurious and lorenna have already told you.

In fact, DCU don't take people through this route at all for DC121 (see here) so you will be looking at DIT / DKIT etc.

Go and do some research for yourself:

- check the course pages for the courses you're interested in under "entry requirements"; they will tell you if there is an option to apply using a PLC and what grades you will need as MINIMUM ... there will be competition, so you're far better aiming as high as possible

- check the course pages for the local ETB colleges or other providers of PLCs for relevant courses, they will often have details of what 3rd level courses they are linked to

Dwellerstew wrote: »

and also do I have to be a mature student to apply for this or not, since I'm only 18 years old atm not close at all to 23

No.

Dwellerstew wrote: »

and if all of these answers go my way, what grades do I have to get in the PLC to be able to apply for a place in 2nd year ( specifically in DCU computer applications) and to be accepted

See above.


And tread very, very carefully in any further posts; by rights, this account should be banned too and indeed closed as it is a re-reg account used to circumvent a ban!

It is only because it's never nice to find your dreams going up in smoke on results day that you're getting a little leeway ... don't abuse it!

lazybones32

Maybe, maybe not. Check with DCU as to which courses/PLC's they'll accept as being similar to Year 1.
Don't view learning as "what's the minimum I need?" - you're finished school now and no-one will force you to study. Aim to learn as much as you can and aim for 100% in your coursework and exams. You will get out of it what you put into it.

Dwellerstew

Are there any level 6s that I can apply for computing related courses that don't require minimum 5 level subjects passed (since I only got 4) and also do I'm not good at interviews so I don't think I'll get a place, and I would like to do a level 6 straight away, for 1 year, since most level 6s require a fetac level 5, so I need a level 6 that I can do in a year that I can apply for

Is there's no way of getting into University without adding in another year compared to if I got in this year?

endacl

Dwellerstew wrote: »

Is there's no way of getting into University without adding in another year compared to if I got in this year?

No. You fell short of the required standard. To attain the required standard will require completing some form of a course of study, the results of which you won't see until next summer. Even if you could do something sooner, you wouldn't attain the required standard in time for this year's intake of students, and wouldn't be starting till September 2018 at the earliest.

There really aren't any back doors.

randylonghorn

Dwellerstew wrote: »

Are there any level 6s that I can apply for computing related courses that don't require minimum 5 level subjects passed (since I only got 4)

I genuinely don't think so.

Out of curiosity, I even went and checked Griffin College (a private college for which you would pay over €5k a year in fees, and for their Higher Cert in Computing (Level 6) the minimum entry requirements are 5 x O6/H7s (including Maths)

As Enda said, there's a minimum standard, you're not hitting it at the moment, and you need to have another go at it, whether by a different route or not. Same for many things in life, you don't get your driving license if you don't pass your test, etc. etc.

august12

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Dwellerstew wrote:

Are there any level 6s that I can apply for computing related courses that don't require minimum 5 level subjects passed (since I only got 4) and also do I'm not good at interviews so I don't think I'll get a place, and I would like to do a level 6 straight away, for 1 year, since most level 6s require a fetac level 5, so I need a level 6 that I can do in a year that I can apply for

Would be nice to get an update here, did you get any offer through CAO?

endacl

august12 wrote: »

Would be nice to get an update here, did you get any offer through CAO?

If you look at his other threads, you'll see that he doesn't now need a college place, as he's going to become the world's first app-developing entrepreneur who doesn't need to invest either time, effort or money.

Dwellerstew

august12 wrote: »

Would be nice to get an update here, did you get any offer through CAO?

No I didn't get absolutely any options, in fact the cao department thought that an error had occurred since they sent home a letter, and I didn't receive any options at all not even the only level 6 options that I applied for which required only 5 passes.
My whole family, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins think that I'm a disgrace and won't talk to me, my parents friends think that I'm an idiot, considering their children get only As and Bs and strive to get a place to become a doctor, 5 girls for example that are the children of these friends are all striving to become doctors, and also others who have entered university and are striving to get all sorts of highly paying jobs,yet I never really wanted to go to university in all honesty, it was never really something i cared about no matter how stupid that might sound, all I really wanted in life was to start my own business, app developing specifically and to create a couple of apps that would really payoff and that could get me to retire by the age of 30 and to focus on the stuff that I really love in life, meet a girl that I would fall in love with, have a family, focus on the the things I loved such as developing apps and computer softwares and working out. Yet I'm here waiting to go to 5 different interviews all in 3 days, and which require all types of documents, leaving cert, mock results, passport copies, a lot of stuff that are useless. Repeating the year would be a dread, I never had friends in school, in my first secondary school, I had friends since I acted immaturely which made me have friends, but I never felt that I liked the way I wanted to, after I moved into my 2nd secondary school in TY, I started to act like how I really wanted, and that made me feel better but I was also pulled down since I had no one to talk to since everyone talked about nothing I had an interest in and also got picked on, since I was really serious and that would make me look shallow and dry, explaining why no one ever approached me either, my family never really had a good relationship with, my father always was always disgusted of me, ever since I stopped playing tennis, which he forced down my throat, and a lot of other judgmental view points that he would religiously comment to me my mother always stressed and shouting at me from the smallest things, and my brother as innocent as a newborn in my parents eyes, yet has a very vulgar vocabulary and has a tendency to always scream or insult me without any consequences, life has been a dread in general for me, I feel like I'm trapped in a cocoon ready to be released to finally do as I wish, but now I'm stuck in my parents house and I have to follow their rules limited to what I can do, creating my business is not one of the things I can focus on, and neither am I ready to leave my home, since I'm not ready financially or mentally.

the_syco

Dwellerstew wrote: »

I got 239 points in the leaving cert passing maths and English and another 2 subjects, meaning I only passed 4 subjects and failed another 3 including irish, if I were to do a PLC course for computing since my first option was Computer application in DCU (DC 121,course code), will I be able to apply for a place in the 2nd year of this course if I complete my PLC

You do well in the PLC, you get to start the college course from the 1st year.
Read this; https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/how-to-get-to-college-via-a-post-leaving-cert-course-1.2058260

BUT... most courses need 5 subjects passwed, so you may not even get into a PLC.

Dwellerstew wrote: »

are there any other possibilities for me at this point?

No. Pretty much everywhere needs 5 passes.

Have you considered doing a trade?

randylonghorn

Here's a fun fact, dweller ... Einstein hated school and dropped out at 16.

No, that doesn't mean that you're automatically another Einstein, but it does serve to very clearly illustrate that not fitting in / not succeeding in secondary school isn't necessarily the end of the world. Nor does it make you either an idiot or a disgrace.

But it does mean that now you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and find a way to go forward which works for you and takes you somewhere you want to be.

A PLC may still be a good answer for the moment. One with a focus on Computer Applications would provide you with a basic / foundational knowledge which is likely to prove useful in the long run, even if it's not what you think you want right now because, let's be honest here, right now you're looking for shortcuts!

It's also probably the best way to get the 'rents (at least partly) off your back.

I don't think many PLCs focus much on coding, but those friends who are more computer-savvy than I am tell me that it's perfectly possible to learn programming languages from the web ... if you're willing to put in the work.

If we could go back 5 years, I'd be suggesting you look for the nearest CoderDojo ... but AFAIK their upper age limit is 17, and I suspect you might be a bit late for that. I'm not aware of a similar initiative for older teens / adults, but hey, it's not my area of expertise, ask around, there may be something.

Whatever route you take, it's gonna take hard work and patience. You don't build muscle without hard work, and you don't build a career without hard work. It would be nice if there really were fairy godmothers who could wave a magic wand and make everything perfect without us having to work for it, but you and I are both too old to believe in fairytales!

rainbowtrout

Dwellerstew wrote: »

No I didn't get absolutely any options, in fact the cao department thought that an error had occurred since they sent home a letter, and I didn't receive any options at all not even the only level 6 options that I applied for which required only 5 passes.

But you didn't get 5 passes, you got 4, so you didn't meet the minimum requirements for any Level 6, 7, or 8 course.

Look, you've been given a lot of good advice here, but you don't seem to be passing any heed of it. You want to skip into second year of college next year, when you haven't proven yourself capable yet of meeting the minimum standard to enter a third level course. And you want to develop an app to retire at 30. Realistically, very few people are doing that.

If you want to do software development, start contacting all the PLC colleges in your area that offer a Level 5 course, because you won't be offered a place on a Level 6 course. If your grades are what you've posted, I'd imagine that your HL maths will stand to you despite not having 5 passes overall.

Do the PLC for the year and if you are determined to succeed then put in the work, it won't happen by itself. This will allow you apply to enter first year of a wide range of courses. The rest after that is up to you.

RossieMan

i think you should go with the idea of making an app and retiring at the age of 30.

sounds really realistic and not completely mental all together.


repeat the LC, or do a PLC. maybe take it a bit more seriously this time?