need real help with life

christmasinjuly

Hi I only got 290 in the leaving cert and if I dont get into college . is there any like apprentcieships out there to do????? Im a girl so juno any advice ?

Long Term Louth

christmasinjuly wrote: »

Hi I only got 290 in the leaving cert and if I dont get into college . is there any like apprentcieships out there to do????? Im a girl so juno any advice ?

Have a look at PLC courses, most are assignment based and are I feel a better preparatory course for college, for those unlucky in the LC. Also choose something you would like to do, rather than doing a subject for the sake of it.

VIP to remember, your whole life is still ahead of you this is, although it may not fell it right now only a minor blip.

Larianne

Don't worry. Wait till next week and see. You have a few options which you could have a look at to put your mind at ease.

First of all, what do you think you'd like to do? What are your interests?

Have you looked at any PLC course you might like to do? Many of the PLC courses can lead onto universities here or abroad if you achieve the required grades in them. I have a friend who did a pre-nursing course and she was then able to go on to study nursing in DCU as she got the grades. FETAC courses can be an excellent stepping stone into university/college courses. I don't know where you're based but here's a link to CDVEC: http://www.cdvec.ie/en/index.cfm/do/home

There is a new FETAC/PLC forum on boards you might like to keep an eye on: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1340

Fas run a number of apprentiships: http://www.fas.ie/en/Training/Apprenticeships/Apprenticeship+Listings/default.htm

I wouldn't be too familiar with the process of applying. I'd go into your local FAS office and ask. They also run other training programmes.

Fionn MacCool

Can you not repeat the LC?

NOGMaxpower

christmasinjuly wrote: »

Hi I only got 290 in the leaving cert and if I dont get into college . is there any like apprentcieships out there to do????? Im a girl so juno any advice ?

Even if it feels like the end of the world its not. If you have your heart set on going to college to do a particular course repeat your leaving cert somewhere. I did the same in St Laurene college loughlinstown. I didn't get the course i wanted even after that and never went to college.

Instead, like others have suggested I did a PLC course, followed by a diploma and a few certs (I got into IT). I never really knew what i wanted to do so deciding or working towards college was always a pain. Regardless, if you still dont knwo what to do, i'd advise repeating the leaving then seeing whats out there. Ireland is fecked at the moment for jobs, so if I were you i'd spend as much time as i could in education. At least til the economy picks up again and there are more jobs.

But make the right choices of courses to do that meets what you want in life. I was never an academic but now Im "Oprah Rich".

christmasinjuly

hi thanks for the advice but no I would not repeat ever, If I was to I would be 21 by the time I finish and to be honest a girl who repeated this yr...she got 300 last yr and today she only 205 sickened abit but all same Im gonna do few fas courses, maybe an apprenticeship and night courses

Agent_99

It's a good time to think about what direction you want to head, Take your time don't make any rash decisions, I am returning to college this year and I'm 41 so it can take a little time:o

KeithTS

The most important thing to do is figure out what you want to do, what you could see yourself doing for 40 years or so. you could try to get work experience and that to help you with this.
Don't worry too much though, one thing this cuntry is great at is providing alternative routes to education and making it accessiblae.
I didnt even sit my LC and because I'm over 23 I had my choice od courses in a lot of good colleges.

get some experience, do some stuff thatt shows you are interested in educating yourself and then worst case scenario you'll stand a great chance of getting any courses you want when you reach that age.

Manic Preacher

If you have a bit of cash then get a plane ticket to Australia. If that's too far then go to the UK. Would do you the world of good. And if you reply by saying you're a homebird then that's even more of a reason to fly off!

nosedive

I wouldn't get too hung up on your LC results. It's important but it's not the end of the world if you're not holding a top 10% set of results. There's alternative entry routes to anything so don't despair; set goals and stick to them. I got a leaving little better than yours and I'm a chartered surveyor now. Getting here took a little longer but I'm not stupid, I just wasn't all that interested in school when I was younger.

Think about what you want to do (why not even take a year out) and take advice where it's available but only to make up your own mind, DO NOT let others make decisions for you, you need to forge your own path in this life.

Good luck!

nukinfuts

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

Can you not repeat the LC?

I wouldn't repeat the leaving - if you're dead set on going to college, I'd go with a PLC course in something you really want to do. Qualifax.ie is a great website for finding out what different courses there are around the country. PLC is a great prep for college and for the area you want to work in - in the course I did we had to complete 10 days work experience - I assume thats standard on all PLC courses, and I knew by the end of the year that it was definitely the area I wanted to work in - loved it! Plus I got straight into the degree course I wanted to do.
It really isnt the end of the world so I wouldn't worry - I also agree with maybe taking a year or two to travel/get some work experience.
Best of luck anyway

the_syco

nukinfuts wrote: »

PLC is a great prep for college and for the area you want to work in

Although this is true, try to get into a PLC that will allow you to go into the college course that you want to get into after a year or two of the PLC.

sparkling sea

You could look you all new courses starting this year, maybe you could apply for one of these.

For example Waterford Institute of Technology has 2 new courses which you can apply through the CAO for now - *NEW COURSES* in Sustainable Energy Engineering and Business with Irish. APPLY NOW! (from WIT website)

Also if you dont get anything you want check the vacant places on the CAO site from next week - you can apply for these courses also

Long Term Louth

the_syco wrote: »

Although this is true, try to get into a PLC that will allow you to go into the college course that you want to get into after a year or two of the PLC.

All depends on where your interests lie, some of the FETAC level 5's are a stepping stone into college.

Chorcai

Repeat your leaving, sure you know what it like now, and you'll be under less stress etc etc that or go for a PLC.

jimbuckleybarre

Hi,

Could anyone explain how the PLC courses work? Does it matter which PLC course you do if you want to go to university afterwards?

My son wants to do genetic engineering but didn't get the points and was silly enough not to put down more courses as opinions.

Now he's looking at doing a PLC and then from there go and do the genetic engineering course in UCC.

How does this work?

Thanks,
Jim

Long Term Louth

jimbuckleybarre wrote: »

Hi,

Could anyone explain how the PLC courses work? Does it matter which PLC course you do if you want to go to university afterwards?

My son wants to do genetic engineering but didn't get the points and was silly enough not to put down more courses as opinions.

Now he's looking at doing a PLC and then from there go and do the genetic engineering course in UCC.

How does this work?

Thanks,
Jim

Which PLC course is he doing and where?

jimbuckleybarre

He's looking at doing them in either College of Commerce or Mallow College.

I don't have the exact courses to hand one is the small animal care, the others are computer studies of one sort or another.

Jim

Long Term Louth

jimbuckleybarre wrote: »

He's looking at doing them in either College of Commerce or Mallow College.

I don't have the exact courses to hand one is the small animal care, the others are computer studies of one sort or another.

Jim

Some of the FETAC level 5 courses are are stepping stone for colleges and university, however the students generally have to do well to insure a college place. My advice to you would be ensure that the course chosen does in fact provide some sort of lead on to college i.e level 7 or 8 if possible. So review the choice with this in mind.

nukinfuts

just a warning regarding PLC courses - for anyone under 23 that is considering applying through CAO after they complete a PLC course, CAO only take into account your top 8 modules - from what I know a distinction (80%-100%) gets you 50 points so the maximum any PLC student can gain from points is 400. Anyone under 23 will be competing with leaving certs who can potentially gain higher points than a PLC student. so for eg. if a course is 420 points, PLC students can not reach the required entry points.
This making sense?
A good few of my former PLC classmates have been left sorely disappointed because of this