Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Veterinary

md99

Robbiethe3rd wrote:

Just reading this I think youre being a bit cruel, I got 600 points and am doing medicine; but I only got those points BECAUSE I wanted to do medicine, if I didnt have to, i certainly wouldnt have worked that hard, there a lot better paying jobs out there than doctors and vets and you'd be foolish to choose either of them for money; you wouldnt make it through the course if it was just for money!

A lot better paying true... but you can't really put Directing, Producing, Pornstarring down on your CAO....

Seriously, obviously things like owning your own business etc will bring in bigger bucks, but those high point careers usually have the greatest potential for moneymaking... or income per head? I mean even considering the fact that a GP gets €50 for just a checkup, which can sometimes involve just writing a prescription.. Income per head is usually very high in these careers. I mean, according to my parents they got around €70k a year interning. Beats the €183.50 a week the Guards give ya!

Steve01

md99 wrote:

but you can't really put Pornstarring down on your CAO....

God dammit! Why are the best jobs so hard to get in to:rolleyes:

cocoa

Robbiethe3rd wrote:

Just reading this I think youre being a bit cruel, I got 600 points and am doing medicine; but I only got those points BECAUSE I wanted to do medicine, if I didnt have to, i certainly wouldnt have worked that hard, there a lot better paying jobs out there than doctors and vets and you'd be foolish to choose either of them for money; you wouldnt make it through the course if it was just for money!

yes, and hence so many drop outs and the need to fix the system so less unsuitable people are misguided into choosing medicine.
I'm still getting results in, but looking at around 535 in my mocks, my first choice is CA in DCU which will require 300 points, not because entrants will have that many, but because not all the places will be filled. I have no interest in medicine, so I won't bother. The only high points course I might have enjoyed was actuarial mathematics, but I decided I didn't want to narrow my options so much.
Anyone who takes the view that points are currency, and it's best to spend as many as you can, is damn stupid and on the road to ruin.

Shox

eZe^ wrote:

Em, I doubt I would wanna do any of those courses, if I got 600 I would definitely consider studying actuary in England. Minted!!

Thats the course im going for at the moment, actuary in UCD, need to put a lot more work in tho if im gonna get it!!

And cocoa I dont think doin actuarial mathematics would narrow your options too much, there are loads of options off it!

cocoa

Shox wrote:

And cocoa I dont think doin actuarial mathematics would narrow your options too much, there are loads of options off it!

umm, yeah, I can see how being able to work out the probability of someone dying would be extremely useful in many professions...

md99

cocoa wrote:

umm, yeah, I can see how being able to work out the probability of someone dying would be extremely useful in many professions...

Well, despite your sarcasm, I think most people can see that it WOULD be useful...

What's the pay for actuary like, guys? I was recommended to do it, doubt I will though coz my heart is set on Law.

InFront

Pure Cork wrote:

Choosing a profession based on "prestige" is f-ing ridiculous. Isn't that one of the reasons they're bringing in an assessment for certain courses like medicine, becasue they were getting unsuitable people?

No, it's a publicity stunt, it makes them look good. There's a rubbish misconception that some people have that people who get high points are more likely to be bad doctors. In fact, getting the points says nothing about your bedside manner or medical practice whatsoever; it means that you worked hard, and you got lucky. I don't see how introducing an aptitude test is going to make things better - better how? What's wrong with the system as it is? If they want to increase access into medicine, and they want more Doctors, stop leaning on non-EEA students to run the medical schools and appoint more places. (That costs money)

cocoa

md99 wrote:

Well, despite your sarcasm, I think most people can see that it WOULD be useful...

ok... a pure maths degree being open to new directions I can just about imagine, but a degree in one particular area of maths? Seriously, apart from making the drastic change between legal actuary and office actuary (gasp!) I fail to see how it's flexible. Sure, in today's world you could go on and study something entirely different, but had you chosen a more open degree, you could already be a little way down that path...
Seriously, without waffle, tell me what about a degree in actuarial mathematics is easily transferable to another profession, excluding skills learned in any course...

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Pure Cork wrote:

"Prestige" doesn't equal money.

I think you'll find that it often does.

People who go to the more prestigous universities have much better oppurtunities to make very valuable connections which make the road to the big money much easier.

Obviously it's not impossible to get there through hard work, but personally I'd prefer the easier option.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

cocoa wrote:

umm, yeah, I can see how being able to work out the probability of someone dying would be extremely useful in many professions...

Ever heard of Investment Banking, Fund Managment and any other extremely high paying jobs in the finance industry?

It may not be useful for being a builder or a secretary, but it would appear to me anyway to have a particular relevance in quite a few jobs which are more lucrative than most.

JC 2K3

I never understood the whole prestige thing. I mean I'm from a good area, have a good background and I suppose I have "valuable connections", as you put it. However, I don't want that. I don't believe I should have an advantage over anyone else. The lack of integrity in today's world is sickening....

Thomas_S_Hunterson

JC 2K3 wrote:

I never understood the whole prestige thing. I mean I'm from a good area, have a good background and I suppose I have "valuable connections", as you put it. However, I don't want that. I don't believe I should have an advantage over anyone else. The lack of integrity in today's world is sickening....

That's entirelly your personal preference, but at the end of the day, it's a big bad world out there, and if you waste the oppurtunities afforded to you by your background, nobody else is going to stand upand thank you for it. Someone else will take them.

Personally I have no problem with the old boy networking.

Pure Cork

InFront: "No, it's a publicity stunt, it makes them look good. There's a rubbish misconception that some people have that people who get high points are more likely to be bad doctors. In fact, getting the points says nothing about your bedside manner or medical practice whatsoever; it means that you worked hard, and you got lucky. I don't see how introducing an aptitude test is going to make things better - better how?"
WTF are you on about? An aptitude test would help select people who are suited to a profession. Why should some people be excluded because they didn't get 600 points when they might be more suitable?


sean keevey: "I think you'll find that it often does.

People who go to the more prestigous universities have much better oppurtunities to make very valuable connections which make the road to the big money much easier.

Obviously it's not impossible to get there through hard work, but personally I'd prefer the easier option."
Bull. Prestige associated with colleges is rubbish, it's down to individuals. There is no "easy" option. Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Bill Gates never worked a day in his life.

Investment banking? 70hr week? You're actually being underpaid in that job.

JC 2K3

sean_keevey wrote:

That's entirelly your personal preference, but at the end of the day, it's a big bad world out there, and if you waste the oppurtunities afforded to you by your background, nobody else is going to stand upand thank you for it. Someone else will take them.

Personally I have no problem with the old boy networking.

Meh, money doesn't run my life. I reserve the right to "waste" any unfair advantages I'm given.

I'm never going to work directly in finance or business, however, so I probably won't be offered these oppertunities...

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Pure Cork wrote:

Bull. Prestige associated with colleges is rubbish, it's down to individuals. There is no "easy" option. Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Bill Gates never worked a day in his life.

Investment banking? 70hr week? You're actually being underpaid in that job.

£20 million christmas bonus and you're underpaid??? It all boils down tohow good you are.

I know the inequality may be hard to stomach, but at the end of the day, if I go to Private School and then one of the elite universities like Harvard or Cambridge, I'm going to make contacts that will put me ahead in life, be that putting me in contact with people that make things happen or favours down the line.

It may not represent perfect moral equality, but life ain't fair and we get on with it.

JC 2K3

Lol, the old "life ain't fair so I'm gonna stop caring about anything besides my own welfare" attitude.

Ever considered the notion that money!=happiness?

Pure Cork

In my opinion, investment banking, despite the financial rewards, is a sh*t job. I would prefer a good life.

You don't have to go to a private school to go to places like CIT, MIT, Imperial, Yale, Stanford. You don't have to go to your so-called "elite" colleges (or to college at all) to become minted. I know about both sides.

You're not the only one with connections.

Do you still believe there is an "easy option"?

AdMMM

Bull. Prestige associated with colleges is rubbish, it's down to individuals. There is no "easy" option. Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Bill Gates never worked a day in his life.

In fact, in a recent enough survey SME's who were surveyed stated that oftentimes it's not the type of degree that matters but moreso where you obtained it. I'll admit that this may not be primarily because of the "prestige" of the University and may just be the result of a manager also attending a certain college but that just goes on to solidify the argument that contacts do matter.

cocoa

sean_keevey wrote:

Ever heard of Investment Banking, Fund Managment and any other extremely high paying jobs in the finance industry?

my point exactly, if I were to choose actuarial mathematics, I would be looking at something in finance or starting again, whereas with my current choice (CA in DCU) I can get all the maths I want, +a solid grounding in computers (used all over, hence more transferable) and the course itself is adaptable so I can adapt my study to the areas I become interested in.

in response to the prestige discussion:
I think you'll find that what's more important when you're trying to get a job than which college you went to is having an impressive and relevant final year project and even more important, showing an interest and doing a good interview.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

JC 2K3 wrote:

Ever considered the notion that money!=happiness?

Of course, it's foolish to think that money does bring happiness, but at the same time I can't imagine poverty would ring a whole lot of happiness otherwise people would all be living on the streets, and money brings a whole lot of comfort.

Pure Cork wrote:

You don't have to go to a private school to go to places like CIT, MIT, Imperial, Yale, Stanford. You don't have to go to your so-called "elite" colleges (or to college at all) to become minted. I know about both sides.

I never said you had to go to private school to go to one of those universities, nor did I say you have to go to an elite university to get minted, all I'm saying is it helps quite a bit, depending on your chosen course in life. Obviously there'll be those of extreme entrepreneurial aptitude who'll drop out of school at sixteen and make a billion by the time there thirty, but for the rest of us we need to make ourselves employable through education.

Pure Cork wrote:

Do you still believe there is an "easy option"?

Of course there's an easy option. People can can get fast-tracked to employment by calling in favours. There'll still be hard work but it certainly helps. You'd be amazed by the types of deals that are made based on classroom loyalties.

cocoa wrote:

my point exactly, if I were to choose actuarial mathematics, I would be looking at something in finance or starting again, whereas with my current choice (CA in DCU) I can get all the maths I want, +a solid grounding in computers (used all over, hence more transferable) and the course itself is adaptable so I can adapt my study to the areas I become interested in.

There's also careers in managment, consultancy, economics, science etc available because the courses do not focus solely on being an actuary, they focus on Actuarial Mathematics/Science, finance and economics.

Pure Cork

"I'm saying is it helps quite a bit, depending on your chosen course in life."
Private schools don't give you any advantage over those who go to public schools. You can make similar contacts in both.

"Of course there's an easy option. People can can get fast-tracked to employment by calling in favours. There'll still be hard work but it certainly helps."
Obviously contacts within companies (and not just those in finance) can help you get a job. Once you get a job you actually have to work - not exactly an easy option. As you now say, there is still hard work involved.

"You'd be amazed by the types of deals that are made based on classroom loyalties."
Astonished.

ZorbaTehZ

sean_keevey wrote:

£20 million christmas bonus and you're underpaid??? It all boils down tohow good you are.

I know the inequality may be hard to stomach, but at the end of the day, if I go to Private School and then one of the elite universities like Harvard or Cambridge, I'm going to make contacts that will put me ahead in life, be that putting me in contact with people that make things happen or favours down the line.

It may not represent perfect moral equality, but life ain't fair and we get on with it.

Bad karma man - very bad karma.