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How did your points affect how your life panned out?

zuroph

So, all the talk today about points and courses got me thinking. How different would your life be if your points had been different, either better or worse?

I got my results this time 10 years ago. I got 380. I wanted to do arts in Mary I, and needed 385. I checked my papers, and was 1% short in Geography and English. got both checked, and got no improvement. No joy. Did not want to repeat, I hated school, so ended up in a business course in Limerick IT, dropping out two years later. I went and worked in a Tile showroom for a few years, before getting a customer service rep job and going on the road. 2 years ago I bought my house, and am still lucky enough to have my job, even though I hate it.

That 1% in Geog or English, would have put me in the course I always wanted to do. My sister has gone on to do that same course, and this year is doing a PHD in Psychology, she will be a Dr. within a year. Me, I fix people's broken shower doors. FML

So, how would your life have been different?

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squeakyduck

Got 350 in 2006... had a massive row with one of my best mates a few weeks before and I couldn't really concentrate on studying properly, glad I did what I did now! But, I wouldn't have known better if I had got the 600!

I apccepted arts in UCD which was 360 the year before but as the least amount of students sat the LC in 2006 since the history of the LC all the points dropped. I spent a week doing PLC interviews as a back up and each interviewer laughed in my face when I told them the points will drop.

Well I got arts on my first round.... I still don't have a bulls notion what I want to do for the rest of my life but I've completed my MA and I hope to go travelling next year. I've held down several jobs during college. Cashier in a bookies, sales rep and lounge girl.

My life hasn't turned out bad at all. Independent, living in Dublin 4 years.... it's all good!

kfallon

Did my LC in '96, Euro Championships started during them. Did very well in my first 5 subjects but nearly failed accounting and Economics (D3 in both :eek: ) but had enough points to do the Business course I wanted. My only worry was that the two Business subjects I did for my LC were the ones I barely passed. Was shocked at my accounting grade.

I blame the football to be honest.......didn't study a tap for the last 2 exams

[Deleted User]

Needed 460 got 440. Went with 2nd choice, no idea how many points it was.
Turned out for the best as I would have hated my first choice.
Doing something a bit unrelated again now.

Dionysus

irish-stew wrote: »

no employer has asked about my school grades in the last 10 years, it's all been about my experience

Shhhhh.

Lu Tze

Got 540 - 8 years ago - got me into engineering - which is now a decimated career here! Still not sure what i want to do, i'm emigrating and might do a masters in something when i come back

The Saint

Made a complete balls of my leaving cert. Had no interest in school and used it as a social club. Went straight to work after it and worked in the same place for 10 years. Did some short evening courses regarding the work i was doing and ended up doing pretty well professionally but I didn't have the heart for it. Decided to do a part time degree which had no entry requirements and finshed it after four years, it should have taken six but I worked my ass off.

When I finished the degree I quit my job of 10 years and went to full time university and did a masters for which I got a 1st. I finished in september last year. Since January I've been working for a (the) large international organisation in the Middle East in an area I love.

While it might seem like the end of the world when you first don't get what you want in the leaving, its not. There are other ways and means of achieving what you want and to get where you want to be.

babyfratelli_x

If I had gotten more, it wouldnt have made a difference, got my number 1 choice anyway.

Doin arts in NUIG n love it... people say its a doss or a waste, but not to me... I had no idea what I wanted to do, was half considering law but didnt want to get stuck in a course i didnt like, so picked law as an arts subject and decided that it was def somethin I wanted to pursue

Gonna do the LLb when I finish up.

Had I gotten less, I prob woulda gotten in anyway got about 60 points more than what was needed.

But I have plenty of friends in my course that had arts down as a back up and most of them are glad they ended up where they are.

Its not the end of the world if you dont get the points you hoped for. If you really wanna pursue a certain career theres always another way into it. But most people end up doing somethin completely different to what they thought theyd be doing when they were in secondary school anyway.

smallerthanyou

I got the points for my dream course,which lead to a good job which is after gettin me the experience to get my dream job..so all good really. Had a friend though who missed her course n she was no worse off for it.

DetectivFoxtrot

needhelpguy wrote: »

I went into the LC in 2003 without knowing what I wanted to do with my life. As such I felt no pressure in the exam, I really didn't care for it. Had been an A student up to Junior Cert but lost interest after that.

this is me. did the LC in '97 and didn't care a jot. I was also an A student up to Junior Cert. Got crap points, so got onto a PLC course, hated it but finished out teh year. Then took a job offer in a well know company aged 18 (through nepotism

). It was a measly entry level job but over the 12 years worked by way up through the ranks and now earning a very nice salary. It's not a mind blowing job by any stretch but I like it. Also the company paid for my management diploma I did at night time.

When doing my Diploma in '07 I realised that I am more of a grafter than an academic. Academia bores me to tears. I made sure I did well and got distinctions in all subjects but was dying for it to be over.

When I have nightmares it is usally about the LC. I am preparing to do the Irsh Paper tomorrow and I just come to the realisation that I haven't studied in the entire 2 years! I wake up in a sweat. It bothers me more now in dreams than it ever did back then in reality!

so no points didn't affect me at all!

Fart

I got 225 in 2006 but had prospects of getting 450+ but I didnt study or do much work. In a way I wish I had done but I went working in Dunnes for a year then did a PLC course for two, which I had gotten my Diploma for, now I'm studying in Wales and into my second year of a degree. It's great.

Bobby42

not getting enough points for college gave me the time to figure out exactly what i wanted to do. when i was in 6th year i barely studied because i didn't what i wanted to do and didn't see the point in studying. i had a vague interest in science so put down loads of science courses on my cao. got 340 points and i didn't a single course. i was really disapointed at the time because most of my friends got what they wanted. but this gave me a second chance. i did some plc courses and worked for a few years, got into some volunteering, took some time and eventually figured out what i wanted to do. applied this year as a mature student and got my first choice in social science. had i gotten enough points when i did my leaving cert it would have been a complete disaster and probably would have dropped out or failed a science degree.

phasers

Got my first choice so I was happy. If I'd gotten any less I'd be in Tallaght IT doing a similar course. Not very different so far, gimme ten years.

Davidius

Did the Leaving last year. Got my first choice and the course even turned out to have vacant places by the end of it so it would've taken quite a bit to miss out on it.

My second choice actually had a much higher points requirement so I wouldn't have gotten it and I probably wouldn't have minded my other choices. I'd have to have done a lot worse for much to change.

ordinary_girl

I got 295 points which still pisses me off, I worked incredibly hard and basically failed anyway. I'm still sort of embarrassed about getting such low points (a lot more was expected of me) but no way will I ever resit the Leaving Cert, I just found it so draining. I've been unemployed for the past year (though I doubt my Leaving Cert results really had much bearing on my job applications anyway) and now I'm applying for PLC courses.

I'm annoyed I'll have to spend a year or two longer in the education system, but I'm certain in the long run I'll be happy with whatever qualification I end up with.

2ygb4cmqetsjhx

I got 540. Needed 480. Expected 460. More importantly. How many pints did you drink on your leaving cert night? For me it was 4. I was buckled. Never drank before.

foxyboxer

I got 490. Which makes me an 81.6% expert at memorising and regurgitating nonsense. :cool:

[Deleted User]

Averi Handsome Satin wrote: »

I got 540. Needed 480. Expected 460. More importantly. How many pints did you drink on your leaving cert night? For me it was 4. I was buckled. Never drank before.

None, couldn't go out...
bottle of vodka split 3 ways went down well

Smurfpiss

Got my course with a couple hundred to spare. Got me a scholarship, went to Canada with my uni friends, got into uni for postgrad (probably with the help of stuff like points and scholarship) and met me misssus

worked out well so far!

Executive Steve

Not one iota.

ibarelycare

I needed 480 for my course. The ONLY course I wanted to do. I got 470 but luckily enough the points came down and I got my first choice. Dropped out after 1 semester. Worked for a few months and re-applied again through the CAO for another course. Dropped out of that one after a year.

Now I work in a dead0end job. Am studying part time but hate my course and have no motivation for it. 25 and still don't have a clue what I wanna do! My mam said to me today "I bet you're glad you're not back there again" but I kinda wish I was, I'd do so many things differently!

/sobs into wine glass

Parsley

i needed 305 and got 525... so eh, not much effect there.

Columbia

squeakyduck wrote: »

Got 350 in 2006... had a massive row with one of my best mates a few weeks before and I couldn't really concentrate on studying properly, glad I did what I did now! But, I wouldn't have known better if I had got the 600!

I apccepted arts in UCD which was 360 the year before but as the least amount of students sat the LC in 2006 since the history of the LC all the points dropped. I spent a week doing PLC interviews as a back up and each interviewer laughed in my face when I told them the points will drop.

Well I got arts on my first round.... I still don't have a bulls notion what I want to do for the rest of my life but I've completed my MA and I hope to go travelling next year. I've held down several jobs during college. Cashier in a bookies, sales rep and lounge girl.

My life hasn't turned out bad at all. Independent, living in Dublin 4 years.... it's all good!

That is freakishly similar to my own story

Same year, same points, both ended up in Arts working odd jobs, both did postgrads, both have no idea what to do afterwards (I still have a year of research left), apart from "go travelling", but it's okay because we've had a good'un :pac:

Daisy03

Did the LC in 2007 and I got 545 points. Thankfully I ended up doing a course that I liked and I am just about to go into my final year.

ScissorPaperRock

Did the LC in 2004 and had zero interest in it since I had a conditional offer for a HND course that didn't require much. Got about 320 points, and the course offered little in terms of employment prospects.

But the points made very little difference after this. The HND got me into a degree course which required 420 points, finished that with a 1:1 and now going on to do a masters.

So the LC is definitely not the be all and end all!

Sofiztikated

Not one bit.

Well, I did GCSE's, and an NVQ after that, went to school in Norn Iron.

3A's, 3B's & 4 C's. Without much effort. Went on to do NVQ in Computer Technology, got very bored as I (thought) knew most of the basic crap they were teaching, and ended up with a C.

Ended up in hotels, working 5 days a week and doing a cert course one day a week, had absolutely no bearing on what I received in school.

Haven't needed my school results since I started the college course, and even at that that was just to determine if I did French, German or Spanish.

Tryst

Ok i didn't put enough thought into what i wanted to do i ended up doing arts in ucd for a year before dropping out. i worked a dead end job for two years then travelled around australia and thailand for 2 years. After that i realised what i wanted to do, came home, did veterinary nursing, liked it so much i decided to continue with doing veterinary medicine which is what i'm starting this year. If I'd gotten my first choice psychology i probably wouldn't have travelled and i definately wouldn't have met my long term boyfriend.

monkeyfudge

I never bothered working out how many points I got.

Went to art college.

take everything

560.
Years ago.
Probably did the wrong course tbh.
So my life's kinda crap.

Orange69

Quite a bit.

I applied for a film degree for @520. Only got @470, so ended up getting second choice, computer science. Graduated top of my undergrad class. Just completed my PhD, living and working in NY for the past 2 years.

However, I would say being successful is more about working hard in university, loving your work and making the right connections. Leaving cert is just a small administrative step.

constitutionus

dont even know what they were either.

got into a VEC on the back of em and got my city and guilds in data processing and information technology. had intended to use it to go to DIT but got a job straight away running a firms computer filing system.

buggered off to work in the financial sector after about 2 years and have been there ever since.

am part time now living the life of reilly and with a bit of luck should be independently wealthy by 41 and be able to give up the job altogether.

getting your head together and having a plan is alot more important than points.