What Leaving Cert points did you get and what path did you take?

ChikiChiki

360 points. Didn't really care at the time and only did small bits of night before study. Did a entry course for engineering and dropped out as I hated it. Worked as a labourer for 2 years. Got a job in a bank and worked my way up to supervisor. Went out on my own as a self employed consultant doing BA/PM activities which pays ridicously well. Went back to college at 27 as a mature student on a P/T basis and got a BA Finance and Accounting degree. My LinkedIn is pinging with opportunities at the minute.

The LC in my opinion is not relevant and unnecessary pressure. There is always other ways if the motivation is there.

Donnielighto

450+

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I got 570 points. That was ten years ago and I haven't achieved much since then. I did go on to complete a BSc and an MSc, but with average to below average results in disciplines I was not particularly talented in. Have been trundling along the humdrum "work 9-5 for 40-50 years then curl up and die" path since.

Having said all that my mental health and attitude to life has (marginally and very slowly) improved compared to where I was a couple of years ago. Maybe when I'm 30 I'll go back to college or **** off to the other side of the world on a whim or something. Be grand.

Exact same, even the points year and work style.

dricko_lim

350+

got 415. Did computer engineering for a year in college and changed to Business Studies. Finished that then worked in Scotland for a few years in car rental then Finance in Ireland for 5 years.

Packed it in last year and my wife and I sold our house and went travelling with two young kids (3&1) at the time. Now living in Chiang Mai in Thailand teaching computers and my wife is the school Nurse. Both kids in the same school also now in nursery and 'babies' K1. Work full days but teach about 12 hours a week. the rest is spent playing basketball or soccer with the kids. Love my job

Delighted I packed in the 9-5 as it was the same ****e everyday!! I would advise anyone just pack up and go if you can. I was reluctant but wife convinced me and so happy I did!

Wompa1

300 or less

I think I got 320. I was so upset that I threw it in the bin. I don't fully remember. Blocked it out of my mind. That year of my life was a bag of crap. I ended up doing an IT course in GMIT, which wasn't my first choice but it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.

At the time Science courses, Engineering (Civil, Electronic etc.) and even Commerce had high points. It was before the economy took a dump and was just after the .com bubble burst. A lot of IT courses, even in large Universities ended up going AQA by 2nd or 3rd offers. One of my choices at a University apparently only had a handful of people in the class.

I took to college in a way I never took to school before. I was one of the top students in my class during my first two years. I think being away from the drama of home and having something practical to focus on was what I needed.

I started my first IT job just 2 weeks after my final exam in 4th year. That was just over 10 years ago. Looking back, that seems crazy. Only 2 other people applied for the same job that I did. There was high demand for tech workers and not enough people to fill them. A graduate had their pick of jobs BUT people seemed more inclined to go back and do a masters or a PhD in IT (in my 11th year of working in IT, that also seems crazy. It's such overkill unless everybody fancied themselves a lecturer or were trying to change their skillset). Many also decided to travel for 6 months to a year but by the time they came back, everything had changed. The jobs were gone!

In my 11th year, I am living in the US making more money that I ever thought possible. I have been awarded as one of the top professionals in what I do by some of the largest tech companies in the world. I have been to over half of the states in the US, all over Europe, to Australia, Canada and will be travelling to Asia for my first time next year. I have a full-time job but also moonlight as an executive partner with a company, as well as doing some side consulting every once in a while.

It's not exactly what I wanted to do. It's definitely not what I wanted to do when I was young but hopefully I can put in a few more years, save my acorns and then try something else.

I have found a strong work ethic and common sense can bring you further in life than a piece of paper...

ittakestwo

300+

I got 365 points in 2002. Did not do much study and was much more interested about the World Cup that was on at the time of the leaving that year. Got into Civil Engineering in TCD despite it coming in at 430 that year as I was let of pionts due to a learning disability.

I graduated at the peak of the construction boom in 2006 and walked into a job but by 2009 I was let go due to the crash. I chopped and changed during the recession when there was no work available in construction .I really regreted my choice for a while then. But now I am back in construction and I have no regrets

Senna

280 I think, didnt do a tap for the leaving, stopped going to classes in March, got a business degree and a well paying job. Burned out after 10 years and studied pt for an IT degrees, switch to a entry level IT job last year and love it, if I had to do it all again, I probably wouldn't change a thing.

RiseToMe

I did mine under an older system

295 points, JC was straight As but mental health took a battering and it all went wrong for the LC.

Did two years of an arts degree, dropped out. Got a job at 19, started a course that only a handful people have here in the same area, bought a place in Dublin at 21. Further distance learning achieved a first class honours BSc and a professional qualification and two diplomas by 28. I'm now a tutor and examiner for the college I studied in and director of my own successful company.

Leaving cert works for some, not for others but certainly isn't the be all and end all unless you let it.

Samaris

Did very well in the mocks, crashed out in the LC. Had just hit the end of my tether at that stage and the stress piled up. Screwed up two of what should have been my strongest papers. Still, got lucky, the points dropped a bit for the science course I wanted and I scraped in, eventually graduated with a First right into the recession. So that was fun and all.

Samaris

300 or less

Samaris wrote: »

Did very well in the mocks, crashed out in the LC. Had just hit the end of my tether at that stage and the stress piled up. Screwed up two of what should have been my strongest papers. Still, got lucky, the points dropped a bit for the science course I wanted and I scraped in, eventually graduated with a First right into the recession. So that was fun and all.

Simlar story to me, got 420 ish in the mocks and then I scraped a 300 in the actual test, tiredness and stress got to me, got into Cork Institute of Technology instead of UCC Arts course as I was aiming to get into teaching via that way but got computer science and dropped out after a month into Business Administration and then found I was interested in marketing and HR and found my way into an admin job ....I blame also the subjects I selected Biology and chemistry as they were my worst subjects and I never did a business related one and now ive a masters/undergrad done in business

OldMrBrennan83

I did mine under an older system

This post has been deleted.

fg1406

350+

Got 450 points in 1999. Did common entry Engineering and graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering. Did a Post grad diploma in Town planning by night after getting a job with a LA. It was only temporary so I moved to the private sector and worked for a surveying company in Dublin. Living and working in the city wore me out so myself and my then boyfriend relocated to his hometown where I took a pay cut and went into another public sector job. This was initially in HR but I transferred to finance shortly after. I did a law degree at night through UCC a few years ago. Now doing my LLM via distance learning.

Bob Gray

I can remember my results but can't for the life of me remember how it equated to on points at the time ,1997, but I never worked it out cos from a young age I had planned on working straight out of school and either gaining experience or waiting til I was a mature student. The economy at the time was a lot better so it made it easier to buy a house etc but it also kept me working when I really should have gone to college. As it stands, I'm currently a technical supervisor in a semiconductor company which is pretty much the field I wanted to get in but at the same time I'd love to have seen where I could have been if I'd have gone and done that engineering course or something similar.

dudara

450+

I got 580 in 1996. Studied Physics for my degree, went on to complete a PhD. I'm really personally proud of that part of my life as it was tough financially and mentally, but I made it through.

I had thought for a long time that I want to be a researcher / academic, and I was even teaching part time in the local IT. But by the time I had finished the post grad I knew that it wasn't for me.

So I changed completely and took a career in technology consulting. It's taken me all over the world, worked with so many different clients, including some really big brand names. More importantly, it's an industry that doesn't sit still. The pace of change is relentless at the moment and it's really invigorating.

r93kaey5p2izun

450+

I got 600 points in 2000. I became a physiotherapist but, following a few changes in my personal circumstances, I retrained as a teacher, did a second degree in Maths and a Masters in education.

I sincerely regret my decision to go straight to college after school. I had an offer to remain in my part time job where I worked from 15 and to have them pay for qualifications and training to further a career with them. I am certain that teaching is the right job for me but my peers who took the other route are far more secure financially and tbh I would be willing to put up with a lot for more security. I am still considering retraining again in something with better prospects.

RoisinClare6

I did mine under an older system

Did the LC at 17, didn't care for school at all did everything in my power not to go. If I did go in never did my work. Got 280 at the time. Went and did a PLC in sound engineering found out pretty quick it was the opposite of what I wanted. So I finished that in May. Following September I made the decision to go back to school to repeat my leaving cert and significantly improved my grades! Got into a business course in Carlow IT. Applied for a grant, apparently my dad was earning to much to qualify but there still wasn't enough to afford it.

So I spent the following year unemployed. Was driven mad by doing nothing all day so I applied for jobbridge. I got an internship down the road from me in a broadband company. so worked 39 hrs p/w for €150. After the nine months were up I was offered a full time contract. Stayed there for another 2 years after that. Moved counties got a shop job part time in Dealz and a second part time job in another broadband company.

Left Dealz last summer still part time with the broadband company. It's good money though.

Planning on returning to college next year doing a degree part time and a few courses between now and then. Hopefully then I will be able to set up my own business that I've been thinking about for the last 18 months or so.

I maybe going a longer route than if I had done well in school but I have learned a lot a long the way. Still only 25 so I'm not writing myself off yet.

Probably shouldn't be allowed to vote though

FizzleSticks

I did mine under an older system

This post has been deleted.

irishman86

BrianD3 wrote: »

I got over 500 but less than 550 points, this was in the mid nineties. I think when a person states their points they should also indicate when they sat the LC. As can be seen from the below link, the percentage of people scoring 500 points has increased over time.

https://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=points

1995: 3.8% of candidates scored 500+ that year
2000: 5.7%
2005: 8.0%
2010: 8.6%
2015: 10.3%

I've had discussions with people boasting about their children's LC points who didn't like it when I pointed out that 500 points or whatever isn't necessarily as impressive as it used to be.

Leaving aside the dick measuring stuff, my primary degree is in science and I also have other degrees which I did while working. I currently work in a scientific area and based on Revenue stats for single male employees, my salary is in about the top 10% for that cohort. However, the Revenue stats include people much younger than me, people who never went to third level and, I think, part time workers. Were I to compare myself with third level graduates my age who work full time, I'd say my income would be average at best.

For a science grad I believe i'm one of the lucky ones. I would advise people starting out to stay well away from science i.e. chemistry biology physics. As a career choice, STEM (or at least the "S" part of it) is way over hyped.

Based on my experience, the correlation between LC points and career success isn't particularly strong. The most successful people from my school year (they are on incomes of 150-200k+) got solid but not spectacular LC results in the 350-450 point range and went into IT, law, business or banking. Several of the top performers did science and have underachieved in their careers. Similar story with some of my friends from third level most of whom were top people in their respective schools yet have been struggling in their careers for nearly 20 years.

Because its a utterly pointless point to make, perhaps the students have got better at studying than back in the day, your complex about being better than other students doesnt change this

BrianD3

irishman86 wrote: »

Because its a utterly pointless point to make, perhaps the students have got better at studying than back in the day, your complex about being better than other students doesnt change this

Looks like I hit a nerve there. In actual fact, you have no idea of the details of the discusssions I had with other people boasting about their children's' points, running down mine and others' points who did the LC years earlier and reacting badly when the possibility of grade inflation is brought up.

irishman86

BrianD3 wrote: »

Looks like I hit a nerve there. In actual fact, you have no idea of the details of the discusssions I had with other people boasting about their children's' points, running down mine and others' points who did the LC years earlier and reacting badly when the possibility of grade inflation is brought up.

You didnt hit a nerve i did better than most, i just have no delusions of grandeur or feel the need to show i'm better than others
I did my leaving 15 years ago so i'm not in the modern leaving so i could just as easily have your attitude alas i dont feel the need to put others down with comments such as the leaving has got easier thats the only reason your kid got 500 :rolleyes:
Pathetic attitude tbh
So what if people boast or are proud of there kids, i dont need to know the conversations you have, your attitude is easily read that you think your 500 shows you are a more intelligent person :rolleyes: when in reality thats not the case just a delusion

tomwaterford

BrianD3 wrote: »

Looks like I hit a nerve there. In actual fact, you have no idea of the details of the discusssions I had with other people boasting about their children's' points, running down mine and others' points who did the LC years earlier and reacting badly when the possibility of grade inflation is brought up.

Maybe old people are just stupider

Hence lower grades??

Spider Web

350+

BrianD3 wrote: »

Looks like I hit a nerve there. In actual fact, you have no idea of the details of the discusssions I had with other people boasting about their children's' points, running down mine and others' points who did the LC years earlier and reacting badly when the possibility of grade inflation is brought up.

No need to say "Looks like I hit a nerve" - it's very sneery!

However you are correct - research has shown that the leaving cert has become easier over the years. There was a thread on this only recently.

The dumbed-down Leaving Cert http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057775792

irishman86

Spider Web wrote: »

No need to say "Looks like I hit a nerve" - it's very sneery!

However you are correct - research has shown that the leaving cert has become easier over the years. There was a thread on this only recently.

The dumbed-down Leaving Cert http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057775792

Has it become easier or has the ease of access to education become easier
I got 500+ 15 years ago my nephew got the same for his this year and the amount they had at there finger tips through the web is massive
Either way getting high scores in the leaving should be congratulated not used in a way to show how your better than younger generations

Spider Web

350+

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I've noticed this - thought engineering was for brainiacs!

OldMrBrennan83

I did mine under an older system

This post has been deleted.

Spider Web

350+

I guess it depends on the type of engineering? It's a broad term I suppose. Civil engineers and electrical engineers seem to need to work hard.

_Roz_

300+

I got 390 or 395. I didn't put much effort in because I knew I was going to do Arts, because I had to go to college (thanks parents) but had no idea what I wanted to do, and also felt incapable of anything (thanks, undiagnosed anxiety). I graduated into the recession in 2009. That was fun. Long term unemployment, circularly compounding and compounded by (now diagnosed) anxiety and depression.

Then I fell into an awesome employment situation which I could have managed with no degree at all, and here I am working my way towards permanent.

GLaDOS

400+

490 points. Did a BSc in genetics and finished my PhD last year. Currently working in research.

Still chafes that I just missed the 500 mark :pac:

Tom Mann Centuria

Four GCSE "C" grades, (Geography, History, English Language and English Literature) which might be marginally more useful than Junior cert grades, but only just. Left school at 16 and had as many jobs as Homer Simpson. Been in my current job for a Looonnnnggggg time now though.

smurgen

400+

485.missed out on law thank god,don't think i could have have financed the profession after college.gone into private equity and funds.

BrokenArrows

300 or less

I got 345 if i remember correctly . It was exactly the number of points required for my first choice for software development.

Im pretty sure i did the minimum required and seriously 15 years later thinking back its a pretty big decision to make when you're that young on what to choose for a career.

I am working as a software engineer and getting paid pretty well.
However if i was to go back and talk to my younger self i probably wouldnt pick an IT career path. Id probably choose something more financially rewarding and more stable.

In software development it irritates me that the technology is constantly changing . Anything i learn becomes obsolete in a few years.

Avatar MIA

BrokenArrows wrote: »

In software development it irritates me that the technology is constantly changing . Anything i learn becomes obsolete in a few years.

Probably good for the brain to keep it challenged.

With that said if I had to significantly update my profession every few years I'd rather eat the books.

Enough to do thphys. Had no interest in getting high points for the craic and I never wanted to do medicine or anything

Avatar MIA

bluewolf wrote: »

Enough to do thphys. Had no interest in getting high points for the craic and I never wanted to do medicine or anything

You would think that would require very high points, but all down to demand I suppose.

BrokenArrows

300 or less

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Probably good for the brain to keep it challenged.

With that said if I had to significantly update my profession every few years I'd rather eat the books.

Good for the brain but bad for the stress.

At the moment i am finding myself lacking motivation to learn new stuff so im falling behind. Might have to move into management!! haha.

Avatar MIA

BrokenArrows wrote: »

Good for the brain but bad for the stress.

At the moment i am finding myself lacking motivation to learn new stuff so im falling behind. Might have to move into management!! haha.

The refuge of the burnt out... At least we have the foresight to move though :pac:

ciaradx

450+

500 points. Did a BSc in Genetics and I'm about to finish my PhD in Cancer Biology.

I'm glad I went down this route but the PhD has been particularly tough. I'm not really sure what road to go down next but I'm sort of looking forward to having no set plans like I've had the last few years.

arccosh

I did mine under an older system

255 ... currently a Telecoms Engineer with BEng(Hons)
LC means jack **** if you're willing to put the work in (mind you it make take longer, or significantly longer in my case, but hey, I enjoyed my 20's a lot more than others)

ElChe32

400+

455 - decided to do Computer Science in DCU but after 5 months realized that it really wasn't for me. Took a year off to do a bit of work and travel. Went back to college then and did International Relations which I loved - graduated in 2010 when there wasn't a sniff of a job in my sector so went to study a masters abroad. Spent the next few years in non-profits in a few countries before coming back home and thankfully finding a job working for an NGO which I really love.

I still think I will end up working/living outside of Ireland but for now I'm fairly happy. Can't imagine I would be saying the same if I had stuck with computer science, my bank account would probably be healthier but as others have said I don't do my current work to get rich I do it because it makes me happy.

zl1whqvjs75cdy

450+

Got 550, before this craic of extra points for honours maths too. Did a PhD and work in industrial science now. In hindsight I shouldn't have bothered with the level of work I had to do for the leaving cert, I probably would have ended up exactly where I am without it. And without the PhD too probably. Ah well.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

take everything

BrianD3 wrote: »

Looks like I hit a nerve there. In actual fact, you have no idea of the details of the discusssions I had with other people boasting about their children's' points, running down mine and others' points who did the LC years earlier and reacting badly when the possibility of grade inflation is brought up.

Grade inflation is pretty much undisputed as you say. Project maths, the whole erasing of the concept of failure. The percentage of firsts or just honours in college.

Ridiculous to suggest kids are getting smarter.

/awaits someone mentioning the Flynn effect. Eh no grade inflation is a reality outside of any insignificant effect from that.

smurgen

400+

ciaradx wrote: »

500 points. Did a BSc in Genetics and I'm about to finish my PhD in Cancer Biology.

I'm glad I went down this route but the PhD has been particularly tough. I'm not really sure what road to go down next but I'm sort of looking forward to having no set plans like I've had the last few years.

Very impressive. Must be great to do something truely benificial for society and make a living at the same time.jealous to say the least!

DvB

I didn't do the Leaving Cert

Cant remember my points total, did my LC in 89, got 2 A's & 4b's on Honours papers, so whatever total that was... 50 sticks in my head so maybe it was that (suspect it was 48 though)... doesnt matter anyway. Bizarrely I dont remember working particularly hard, I was very strong at maths so did that, Physics & applied maths, all of which gave me time to 'study' the other subjects a bit more... (Tech drawing, English & History... less said about Irish the better)

Wanted to get into Architecture but hadnt got the points that year (did a poor interview & aptitude test), ended up doing a level 7 dip in Architectural Technology in Bolton Street (was determined to work in architecture in some form) then went to Queens in Belfast to get my B.Arch.
Worked for 2 well known Architectural firms over the years (was tough getting a break into it funnily enough as it was pre boom)... then did a post grad diploma in Project management at Trinity in the early noughties, moved to a smaller, expanding firm & found I really enjoyed the fire safety side of the design, drifted into looking after cleanroom, industrial & science sector projects & in these the fire safety design became more complicated but far more interesting, finding I wanted a more formal qualification in that area I ended up doing another post grad diploma in trinity doing fire safety & have been working as a fire safety consultant & project architect for an engineering firm for the last 6 years... the fire safety side was about 30-40% of the job, but since grenfell tower has been upped to about 70-80%... I'm hoping the fire safety side stays strong as its the part I find most satisfying.

Looking back, the aptitude test for architecture was probably spot on, I much prefer the technical & PM side of the role, the more aesthetic stuff held little interest, hence drifing into the more technical based side of things... shame I didnt cop it earlier on as i'd have loved to do a degree in fire safety engineering in hindsight.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

valoren

I got 490 in 1998 and it was mixed emotions for me. I got my first choice course but would have liked to have broken 500 points. Looking back I was placing unrealistically high expectations and thus more pressure on myself which definitely impacted me when actually doing the exams. I have always hated taking exams even now as a result.

The culprit for not breaking 500 boils down to the Accounting exam. I got a C3. I was expecting at a minimum a B1 and lost 25 points as a result. You see our teacher was regarded as one of, if not the best Accounting teacher in the country. He had written sample exam books, charged a premium for grinds and had an imperious record for past Leaving Certs. The majority of the class would get A's. No mean feat. His approach was basically to treat the exam as a giant Sudoku puzzle. You wouldn't have an iota what any of it actually meant, but once you knew his 'sudoku-esque' tricks you would get an A guaranteed. I'd planned on a minimum B1. I suspect this aroused envy in his peers. He was really coining it with the grinds. However, there was one chink in the armor. Costing. A sub section of the curriculum that popped up every 4 years or so in Section C of the paper. Our teacher never covered it. He didn't have to. If it came up we would do the other question in Section C. This meant that for me to get at least a B1 now, the rest of my exam had to be flawless. Unfortunately, knowing I couldn't do Section C induced a panic in me and I ended up with a C3 and was peeved.

Our year was different. Section C not only had a costing question, it had two costing questions. Game over man. Section C was worth 20%, so in effect we were marked at 80%. Nobody knew how to do either question as we were not taught Accounting at all. He was devastated. I truly think it was done on purpose to shaft him, he was that successful.

I went on to do an IT/Commerce hybrid degree called 'Business Information Systems'. To be honest, I never applied myself as I should have done. After the exam-centric focus in Secondary, the freedom in third level went to my head. I'm a lazy git at the best of times anyway. I did the necessary and got my degree but never liked the course itself. I understand programming but it's something I would never have a passion for.

The course was too much of a little bit of this and that for me. A bit of accounting, a bit of economics, then some programming. It was a jack of all trades master of none kind of degree. Ironically, I should have done Accounting. I'd have left college actually able to do something but sudoku tricks of the trade weren't to be.

When we started in 98, we were effectively told that a job in IT was a guarantee for us. When we graduated in 2002 and with the combined dotcom bust, and the post 9/11 recession in place, I couldn't get a job with any of the big employers. Places were thin on the ground and only the best first class honour's guys managed to secure roles. Programming shy graduates like me would never make the cut. My confidence took a major hit.

I spent the following years working in IT support absolutely hating it with a passion. I eventually secured a role in my current position which allowed me to work abroad and accrue some great experience. It's IT-testing automation and funnily enough we spent about 30 seconds in 4 years of college talking about 'testing' in IT. Have worked on projects with the likes of Lloyds TSB, JP Morgan, AIB, Bank of Ireland and even a stint in Anglo.

If there's one thing I've learned then it's certainly that it's not what you know, it's who you know. That's not a slight against anyone who is brilliant at what they do. It's a note on the importance of networking.

300 or less

I legitmately don't remember how I did in my Leaving. But I know I did pretty bad(ish). Over 300, but less than 400.

It wasn't until I was in college that I realised it was down to the fact that the rote learning associated more with secondary school doesn't suit me at all. I did poorly in school, but absolutely excelled in college.

Creative83

I did mine under an older system

The poll doesn't tally well with the official statistics.

Seems people may be exaggerating their points somewhat

arccosh

I did mine under an older system

mini_Sapphire wrote: »

The poll doesn't tally well with the official statistics.

Seems people may be exaggerating their points somewhat

or mainly just the braggy "I did crap with my 400 + " points people responding :-P boards.ie isn't exactly the best place to get an accurate demographic sample

justback83

350+

420 - didn't do much from what I remember - and that's not bragging, I was never any good at applying myself. Did a BSc. in Chemistry followed by a PhD - was sure lecturing was the right route for me. Did a post-doc in Australia for a few years. Within the first 6 months I was pretty bloody sure academia was not for me. Have worked in industry since 2013 and moved to Germany...

Muzi5434

300 or less

340 points, didn't work much for it at all!

Chose to do accounting and am now a qualified accountant working in industry. Quite happy