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Going back to college, need help choosing what to study

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  • 31-10-2018 2:47am
    #1
    TheBiz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 511 ✭✭✭


    Okay, I've posted here a couple of years back during my Leaving.. so I thought I'd do the same now.

    I'm 21, spent 2 years studying Business at an NUI, hated it.. I'm not a fan of maths, accounting, economic or statistics.

    I came out with 425 points.

    I've changed from Business to Business Information Systems at an IT, it was a lot of the same stuff I wanted to get away from.. so I've since dropped out, I'm 21.

    I want to go back to college, I'm probably not one for an apprenticeship.

    My best subjects were:
    English - B2,
    Biology - B3,
    Geography - B3 and I managed to not finish a full long question, I came out with full marks in my short questions and Biome question. Could have got a damn A.

    I want to study something with career prospects, I'd probably like Philosophy but there's not a whole lot of job prospects from that.. I went into Business because I didn't know what I wanted to do and I thought it'd be good for getting a job afterwards so maybe that thinking was my downfall.

    I'm thinking of maybe Arts, English, Geography and Psychology? But that's just from a quick glance.

    I'm not liking the idea of going back to college.. I'll be a year behind my younger brother (of 2 years), I have friends who'll be going into final year or finishing.. I'm half thinking of going back and finishing out my Business degree, but that's probably just survivorship bias and forgetting how badly my mental health suffered.

    I just want some outside input - my parents will say 'yeah, sure whatever you think' and my friends will say 'yeah sure whatever you think.. Art's is just a piss-take though'.

    I'd be commuting this time around to save costs so I'm pretty much relegated to Galway, Mayo, AIT...

    I went to a career guidance counsellor during Leaving Cert and she recommended Social Care, but that's not something I'm interested in and I don't know where it came out of.

    Any advice, or just any ideas?


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    #2
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,222 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    What do you like doing?
    Do you want to work outside?
    Would you like something in the environmental/ecology field?

    Always best to study/work in a field you actually like/enjoy.


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    #3
    skooterblue2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,816 ✭✭✭skooterblue2


    Yes you are putting the cart before the horse. You have little experience of the world or where you want to go. I am not saying you are not intelligent far from it. But working crap jobs (retail, catering, call centers, factory operator S.T.C.) are great motivators to work out what you really want. I was once a chef and hated it every goddamn day.

    Comeback as a mature student and the world will be much clearer. I am telling you things are much harder option as a mature student, but you have a certain clarity and life experience that an 18 year old doesnt have, just dont leave it too long. Also the brain is like muscle, you need to be doing part time courses you keep up learning. Most people I know cannot learn any more because they gave up learning new things at 25. They are now 40 and have great memorising things and learning new systems.

    Take some time to Travel or work but dont lose touch with education. I know loads of people who went back as construction managers, lawyers, computer programmers, acupuncturists. Any course that involves heavy maths has to be done when you are young. Few of the famous mathematicians and physicist came up with great ideas after 30.


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    #4
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,222 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    I know I'm always banging on about it, but there is also the funded European volunteer scheme which is good for taking a year out but not being out of pocket.

    https://www.vsi.ie/volunteer/longterm/evs.html


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    #5
    TheBiz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 511 ✭✭✭TheBiz


    skooterblue2 wrote: »
    Yes you are putting the cart before the horse. You have little experience of the world or where you want to go. I am not saying you are not intelligent far from it. But working crap jobs (retail, catering, call centers, factory operator S.T.C.) are great motivators to work out what you really want. I was once a chef and hated it every goddamn day.

    Comeback as a mature student and the world will be much clearer. I am telling you things are much harder option as a mature student, but you have a certain clarity and life experience that an 18 year old doesnt have, just dont leave it too long. Also the brain is like muscle, you need to be doing part time courses you keep up learning. Most people I know cannot learn any more because they gave up learning new things at 25. They are now 40 and have great memorising things and learning new systems.

    Take some time to Travel or work but dont lose touch with education. I know loads of people who went back as construction managers, lawyers, computer programmers, acupuncturists. Any course that involves heavy maths has to be done when you are young. Few of the famous mathematicians and physicist came up with great ideas after 30.

    I might have a job as a welcome advisor so I'll see how that goes..
    My thinking is that it'll look better on a CV than working in a shop or at a pub.
    It's social and I'm not the best for putting myself out there but I think it'll be good for me and for my finances going back into college.

    I'd really plan on going back in the next number of years and not leaving it much later.

    I just know I want to avoid maths and maths related subjects.. I know with doing that I'm probably shooting myself in the foot for job prospects.


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    #6
    TheBiz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 511 ✭✭✭TheBiz


    spurious wrote: »
    What do you like doing?
    Do you want to work outside?
    Would you like something in the environmental/ecology field?

    Always best to study/work in a field you actually like/enjoy.

    That's the question..

    I don't really know, I want to be self employed, or maybe work at a IB/Hedge fund.. I have an Aunt in the realm over in London, she studied music, trained as a teacher and hated it.

    I jump between things - or at least the smaller things.
    So I've tried my hand at Software development.. I like it but I don't fancy a degree in Java.
    I also have started playing online Poker and I'm doing alright.

    If I was good at maths I'd be dangerous..

    I want a job that's full on, something to really work at and not just a way to pay the bills with time for golf, even though I like golf.
    If I get interested in something I want to bring it to the forefront.
    Poker - Pro, Golf - Pro.. it's a bit ridiculous but I'm always looking for something to start.

    I've completed a couple of assessments, I score well on abstract reasoning, verbal reasoning, pattern recognition.
    I've always been good at learning big lumps of information so long as it's not maths, figures and formulas..

    I only got a C3 in business in my Leaving.. don't know how that happened.
    I was always better at subjects like English, Geography, Biology.. I don't know how that'd translate to a degree.
    I've been thinking maybe Arts but it's somewhat notorious for it's lack of job prospects..


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    #7
    TheBiz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 511 ✭✭✭TheBiz


    spurious wrote: »
    I know I'm always banging on about it, but there is also the funded European volunteer scheme which is good for taking a year out but not being out of pocket.

    https://www.vsi.ie/volunteer/longterm/evs.html

    I've actually got a job at a summer camp lined up but I think I'll end up working fulltime until next year to help pay for college.


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    #8
    liquoriceall
    Registered Users Posts: 454 ✭✭liquoriceall


    I would consider something in the line of physiotherapy or occupational therapy? You could finish your business degree and apply to do them as Masters in UL or even social worker. They are technical jobs that require a lot of learning but have a really good social aspect to them. You can either work in the public sector or private if you wish.


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    #9
    TheBiz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 511 ✭✭✭TheBiz


    liquoriceall wrote: »
    I would consider something in the line of physiotherapy or occupational therapy? You could finish your business degree and apply to do them as Masters in UL or even social worker. They are technical jobs that require a lot of learning but have a really good social aspect to them. You can either work in the public sector or private if you wish.

    That's quite a big if, and I'd be paying out of pocket for this year and then postgrad and living in Limerick, I don't know how feasible that would be.


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