Do you wish you received better career guidance when you were younger?

yer man!

Just wondering if people wish they had received better career guidance when they were still in early secondary school? I'm nearly finished a degree and I don't think I want a job in this field after getting some experience and I know a lot of other people in the same position, many of which have simply dropped out after 3 years of a degree so thats about 17 grand paid by the government for basically nothing all because they never really knew what they wanted to do. I've fallen victim to this now, just wondering if anyone else thinks they are actually doing their dream job now? did you get good guidance in secondary school? I know my guidance counsellor told everyone to do commerce because that's what he did.....

Muir

I don't think it's just career guidance. We're asked pretty young with no experience what we want to do for the rest of our lives. It would be nice to have like a pre-college year where you could try out some areas that interest you & then you might have a better idea if it's for you.

Senna

I got very good career guidance, nearly everyone said don't go into that industry, 15 years later and i wish i had of listened to them. So moral or the story is, listen to people who know more that you.

minidazzler

I wish I'd been told a lot of things when I was younger. Career and College among them. I had no idea what I was getting in for when I went to College I thought it would be just like secondary school (ish) and ended up dropping out after a few months when I fell so far behind that I couldn't catch up.

jesus_thats_gre

Yes.

Career guidance in Dundalk during the 90's consisted off "do you like computers" and "do computing in the RTC/DKIT". Am convinced schools were getting funding to drive kids into the place.

It hasn't exactly worked out too badly for me given that I have a pretty senior IT role in one of the biggest multinational telcos but it would have been nice to have been treated as an individual.

Fart

Tbh, I wish that I knew what I know now... when I was younger.

Cookie_Monster

if by "better" than you mean "Any" than yes, yes I do

CG teacher was useless, just threw a few university brochures at people and that it.

brummytom

The best career guidance I've had was working a Saturday job alongside full-time people.
It was me thinking 'I don't want to end up like this' that really encouraged me to do well in school.

jesus_thats_gre

brummytom wrote: »

The best career guidance I've had was working a Saturday job alongside full-time people.
It was me thinking 'I don't want to end up like this' that really encouraged me to do well in school.

Ha, me too. Failed first year and worked in a supermarket full time while repeating. That and the embarrassment of failing was quite the motivator.

BOF666

We had aptitude tests in 6th year, which I did really well in. CG teacher was giving me my results and told me I could do anything I wanted to do. I told him I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Gave me some college brochures and told me to go to some open days. Feck all help, I really don’t see the point of having a CG class.

green123

career guidance teacher was useless. as above she just gave us some leaflets about a few college courses.

wish i was told about the public sector gravy train because if i had known about it i would be on it now

wandatowell

Made no difference to me the advice I got. I was stupid to use it!

Oh damn you hindsight

RATM

Same here with the aptitude tests. We had a full time career guidance teacher but the only thing she did all year was to organise the aptitude tests and organise for the Gardai to come in and give us a recruitment speech on joining the force. The recruitment speech was a hoot as it actually turned into the guards accusing five of the lads of throwing rocks at trains. The Gardai gave us a good insight into the guards modus operandi that day- guilty until proven innocent. Not a good PR exercise for them, even the teacher look horrified.

Anyway the aptitude test said I'd make an excellent social worker yet the last thing in the world I wanted to do was spend a lifetime listening to other peoples problems. It gave no other option- social worker or nothing else :rolleyes:

Whenever I hear some of the awful stories about social workers like the amount of kids who have died or just vanished in HSE care I wonder if on some level some of the blame is due to those aptitude tests. The tests told people they would make excellent social workers even though they (like myself) didn't exactly jump up and have a eureka moment upon hearing the aptitude test results.

At 17 years of age you often just go along with what you're told - you don't question authority the same way you do when you're 22 years old after finishing a degree. Its possible that a lot of people across Ireland took those same tests and went into social work and now hate their job, do it poorly and don't give two hoots about the people they are supposed to be helping. It might partially explain why the HSE constantly has kids dying or disappearing in their care.

Overheal

I took that stupid aptitude test in 4th/5th year and the results basically told me "Oh look, you can do ANYTHING!"

Yeah thanks for the help, dick. I needed to be pigeonholed, not told the world is an open book full of possibilities.

Fry got told he was a pizza delivery boy dammit. Nobody filled HIS head telling him he could be a firefighter OR an engineer OR a lawyer or maybe all of the above.

Maximus Alexander

Yeah I'm in the very same boat OP. I got a degree in electronic engineering, ended up working in IT, and while I enjoyed college and found a lot of it interesting, it's definitely not what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Heading for 27 now and I'm finally realising what I would like to do, but it might be too late to change paths. Or at least it's going to take a lot of hard work and being broke.

Japer

I only left school ten years ago but the career guidance teacher was pathetic.
Underworked, overpaid, lazy and a waste of space.

Sleepy

Yep. Would've helped.

Though the piece of advice I wish I'd really received would've been that a career is only a means to an end. The advice to go find something you love and see if you can make a career out of it.

Don't ask me why, but I think I'd have loved working as a blacksmith. As a result of simply doing what I found I was good at in the Irish education system, I'm an IT Consultant. It's not an awful job or anything but more exposure to different career paths could have resulted in a more satisfying career for me.

SEPT 23 1989

I regret not joining the army and seeing the world

Solair

My career guidance at school was a total joke. They tried to put me off the career I wanted to go into and force me into something more 'sensible'.

I ended up going into the area I wanted via a much more circuitous route than was necessary and doing university courses that I had no interest in during my undergrad.

I would always suggest that you do what you are good at and what you enjoy doing, chasing fads or job market trends isn't a great idea.
Economic cycles change, industries collapse, new industries replace them and you can also end up working abroad.

If you've a job you love doing, it's not work at all.

bamboozle

the career guidence guy in my school basically told us all to do forestry..

RayCon

1988, Sept : Inter Cert results - nothing spectacular, just about to start 5th year

Career Guidance meeting :

CGT : "I see you haven't picked a language as one of your Leaving Cert subjects"
Me: "Yeah, that's right.
CGT: "Why ?"
Me: " I did French for the Inter and I'm useless at it"
CGT: "But you'll need a language to get into college"
Me: "But I'm not going to college"
CGT: "Why ?"
Me: "I wont be able afford it and Im certainly not going to win a scholarship anywhere"
CGT "OK so ..."

starfish90

I think career guidance teachers in schools are limited because they don't know enough about you to recommend a course to you-saying you're good at one thing doesn't mean you'll love it. We had terrible career guidance teachers though...i always feel so sorry for students around cao time-its more stressful than the leaving cert!

kippy

Career guidance is a completely overrated field.
It has very few silver bullets.

There are so many careers and courses these days that is is impossible to tell whether a certain career/course will work out for a 17/18 year old. Theres so much more than aptitude involved in these things.

Sometimes you have to make your own mistakes and learn from them, as well as observe others before you realise what you want to do and how you can do it.

emzolita

God yeah, in school I only ever had one meeting with our careers teacher, and the meeting was basically this
"do you know what you wanna do?"
"yeah be a teacher"
"do you know how many points and what college to apply to?"
"yeah 440, st.pats etc"
"fair play, you're all set so, good luck now Emma"
Lazy bitch

krudler

My line of thinking is if career guidance counsellors knew so much about amazing careers, they wouldn't be working as career guidance counsellors.

Mugatuu

Really wish I had better career guidance!! we had a great career guidance teacher in 4th and 5th year but she passed away suddenly and was then replaced by a new young teacher. The woman just hadn't a clue! I told her I'd like a career with food and she told me marine biology would suit me perfectly and handed me a list of various marine biology courses. Don't really see the connection! one of my friends told me she'd like to do nursing and she told her to go do computer science instead! Woman was just useless!!

Professey Chin

Yep. I was told I should be a psychologist by my CGT but then I listed to Mr Trumpy the purple elephant so IT security it is

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

No way man. Joined the civil service. Coke and hookers.

Daniel S

Japer wrote: »

I only left school ten years ago but the career guidance teacher was pathetic.
Underworked, overpaid, lazy and a waste of space.

krudler wrote: »

My line of thinking is if career guidance counsellors knew so much about amazing careers, they wouldn't be working as career guidance counsellors.

1+1=?

Duggy747

My career guidance counsellor asked me what I wanted to do. When I said something in computers she gave me a strange look and said: "Um, what about something in Woodwork or construction? Would that not be a better career?"

Fast forward a few years and I'm in a good job in IT while all my buddies who were in construction have gone to college as mature students to pick up a new skill :pac:

She was always useless, anyways. I think she got her job by collecting those tokens on milk cartons.

kfallon

CGT was useless in our school anyway. I remember we had to do aptitude tests during Junior Cert year so he could 'appraise' us and give us his worldly wisdom on what subjects to do for our Leaving. Tbh I didn't do great in the tests prob cos I didn't care about them. I knew numbers were my thing and that was what I was gonna concentrate on. I didn't need to hear his advice and I think it annoyed me that he was gonna tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing.

So he brings me in and slates me, basically tells me I'll never make anything of myself blah blah blah yakkity schmakity. I didn't really listen cos I always thought he was a snivelling little prick anyway but of course the results are sent out to our parents and I get it in the neck at home. Junior Cert results were very good, Leaving Cert results were decent too (Euro '96 got in the way of studying a bit :pac:) and easily got enough points to do a course while still firmly 'on the bridle'. Goes to show what he knew cos he told me business subjects were not for me and that's exactly what I did for my Leaving and in 3rd Level and currently work in Finance....well done Mr CGT :rolleyes:

It was the scaremongering with my folks that really did my head in tbh!

Cravez

My career guidance teacher pretty much would just say to everyone ' Check Qualifax ' and that was it, great guidance right there.

Scanlas The 2nd

So many people haven't got a clue what they're interested in by the time they hit their twenties. One thing I find refreshing is when I hear about a kid of twelve or so who knows what they are interested in and what they want to do. Too many people IMO think life starts in your twenties some time. It doesn't , it starts the moment you are born.

Feckless Rogue

Our CGT was quite literally insane. I had an aptitude for music, technology and languages.

She told me I should be a jeweller.

Brother had an aptitude for sport and a special gift for getting on with people?

Vending machine repairman.

Anyway the one bit of advice I wish I got in early secondary school would be this: don't discount the Junior Cert. I thought the Junior Cert didn't really matter/make a difference. I only realized how wrong I was when all us underachievers got lumped in together while all my smart mates got the good/sound teachers

kfallon

The standard thing with them was "Oh you'll need a language" which is complete bull depending on what job you get into. Did French all during secondary school and for 3 of the 4 years of me degree (I gave it up for my final year cos I never went to class for the 3rd year of College ) and it was of absolutely no benefit to me - plus I hated it. The only time I'd consider speaking French now is if I'm feeling posh at the Deli counter and ask for a 'baguette' rather than a 'roll'

kippy

Feckless Rogue wrote: »

Our CGT was quite literally insane. I had an aptitude for music, technology and languages.

She told me I should be a jeweller.

Brother had an aptitude for sport and a special gift for getting on with people?

Vending machine repairman.

Anyway the one bit of advice I wish I got in early secondary school would be this: don't discount the Junior Cert. I thought the Junior Cert didn't really matter/make a difference. I only realized how wrong I was when all us underachievers got lumped in together while all my smart mates got the good/sound teachers

Whatever about a Jeweller, how exactly does one get into vending machine repair?
Did the CGT go through what courses could help, indeed what companies you could contact to find out more? Did they have any idea of salary/promotional prospects?

kfallon

kippy wrote: »

Whatever about a Jeweller, how exactly does one get into vending machine repair?
Did the CGT go through what courses could help, indeed what companies you could contact to find out more? Did they have any idea of salary/promotional prospects?

I laughed at the vending repair man, I mean Jaysus how did she come up with that

You can imagine all the advice that day:

"Oh you'd make a great DHL delivery driver"
"I think you should concentrate on the haircutting industry tbh"
"Your face just screams second hand car salesman"
"If I'm being honest here, I couldn't picture you doing anything but furniture repair!"
"If you went down the Takeaway delivery route I have to say I would rest easy ringing for a delivery knowing it was in your hands!"

Feckless Rogue

Can't remember if she gave us salary scales but I remember it was basically "so that's something you should look into".

In fairness she did ask me what I was interested in doing (music). Don't think she was too keen on that - in fairness it's a tough sell - but I had my mind set and did it anyway

Should've got into jewellry

kfallon

Feckless Rogue wrote: »

Can't remember if she gave us salary scales but I remember it was basically "so that's something you should look into".

In fairness she did ask me what I was interested in doing (music). Don't think she was too keen on that - in fairness it's a tough sell - but I had my mind set and did it anyway

Should've got into jewellry

You'd have been balls deep in diamonds now

MakeEmLaugh

I try not to blame other people for my mistakes. I don't blame my parents, I don't blame my siblings, I don't blame my friends.

But if I was to level the blame for my current predicament at anyone - unemployed for over four months, with most applications not even being replied to and those that are all featuring the phrase "unfortunately, on this occasion..." - it would be my career guidance teacher.

I'm convinced career guidance should be one of, if not the most important functions of secondary school. Maybe, at 17, I should have known specifically what career I wanted for the rest of my life, but I didn't. My guidance councillor was a nun - a nun, for f-ck's sake - who told most students, if they're not sure what they want to do, they should do Arts.

A few years previously, she had said to my brother, "college isn't for you; join the Army or the Guards". Now, he has a Masters, is a Health and Safety Inspector, and earns more than both of our parents' salaries combined.

It would have been nice to have someone give advice whose own career wasn't talking to an imaginary friend.

xDramaxQueenx

Not really to be honest. i only went to the career guidance officer when i didnt have homework done.

all she ever did anyway was refer us on to the careerdirections website, have us do the survey, and sure whatever came up was what we should be doing.

Feckless Rogue

kfallon wrote: »

You'd have been balls deep in diamonds now

Sounds painful :eek:

kfallon

xDramaxQueenx wrote: »

Not really to be honest. i only went to the career guidance officer when i didnt have homework done.

And I bet you were told, "With that attitude young lady you'll end up on the dole!!!"

Now please tell me you have are a very wealthy woman with a well paid job

Clareman

The guidance teacher in my secondary school was a priest.

kfallon

Feckless Rogue wrote: »

Sounds painful :eek:

Great for the chat up lines tho, "Now ladies, you know the way they say Diamonds are a girl's best friend, well......." :pac:

kfallon

Clareman wrote: »

The guidance teacher in my secondary school was a priest.

We really don't want to know where he guided you

Zulu

I remember my CG perfectly, which is unusual for me. It went as follows:

"You like maths & art? Architecture. NEXT."

Shams.

stalebread

i wish i did. back in college part-time now at 30 y.o lovin the course

Agricola

My careers guidance councillor was my religion teacher. That should have been my first inkling that things wouldnt work out so well. She was an airy fairy "break out the guitar for some Cumbaya" type. It was a complete waste of time, but in the heat of 6th year, we just enjoyed going in there to take a break from what we thought was the important stuff. The naivety of youth!

xDramaxQueenx

I initially wanted to join the guards. She told me that it wasn't for me. I used to be out a lot in 5th year from "chest infections" (down by the canal drinking cider with boys from the school next door) and she told me that id be outside a lot as a guard and if i was prone to chest infections, that id probably get sick a lot.

she tried convince me to do a security course, wtf?
I went on to do law and business for 4 years, left it, took a year out and did a year long course with the intention of going back to what i was at initially, and never looked back since. Happy out working away in a job that i love and with plans to open up my own business as soon as im confident enough that im experienced enough. And obviously the law and business will stand to me in that, so nothing was wasted.

Im very happy how my career turned out and it was no thanks to the school.

In fact, I left school in 2006 and started college. My mother passed away in november, and i left college. Went back to her (my old principal told me to come in and talk to the guidance teacher even though i was no longer a student) and she didn't even know if i would be able to start back as a first year for free as I had already been in 1st year. She just told me to apply through the CAO and see what happens.

anncoates

My school guidance cou8nsellor laughed at me when I said I wanted to go to Trinity so possibly, yes.