transferring course/college - advice/help?

ciderandhavoc

Hey guys,

I'm currently studying in Dun Laoghaire (DLIADT) doing second year e-commerce. I'm not happy in the course at all and I've come to realise this at the end of second year! Exams are a few weeks away yet (early May) and I need to contemplate what to do next year.

To be blunt, the college is dreadful, there is such an anti-student feeling thats predominant, its a small college, and does little else other than provide education (inside four walls). The facilities (library - if you could call it that, classrooms and a canteen - thats it really!) are not acceptable at all, and really annoy myself, and others. I'm not the only person in my year contemplating this issue.

The course that I'm doing, e-commerce is supposed to be an innovative one, its shared by the computing and business departments in the colllege, but the problem is that the courses I'm doing are not relevant to each other (in my opinion), and the lecuturers know little or nothing about the other area of the course (business lecuturers don't get the internet & computing, whilst the computing lecturers don't get the practical elements of business). I'm not confident about the merits of the course, and I don't think the course coverage is sufficient to give anyone any actual ability to work in an actual job.

I went into the course because I'm really interested in the web, I've designed websites and have worked on e-commerce projects in the past, the most recent sites I've designed have particular gotten me down because after looking over everything that went into them, almost nothing that I've 'learned' in two years of college has contributed to my work. Thus I have to conclude this course is not what it should be, for me at least.

I've already done a FETAC course in Ballsbridge College and did quite well in it too.

The thing is, I'm not sure whether I should drop the hot potato now or keep it one until next year, when I'll have the Diploma (for what good it will be worth). I was thinking of trying to transfer to DIT or even NUI Maynooth (which is just up the road from me), to just focus on Business subjects, which I feel I should be doing.

I particularly struggle with the programming in my course, and I don't like the idea of facing next year having to do it (bigger emphasis as its final year for diploma) I don't get it now, I won't get it then!

Anyways, I'm just wondering if anyone could either give me some advice on what to do, or how to be approaching it, or anything else, I'd sincerely appreciatie it.

Rgds
Dave

oneweb

Hiya. Sounds remarkably familiar. If you can't stand it now, you really should get out. Don't fall into the same pit of continuing. Best thing IMO would be to do well in these exams (the next place will want to know your completion level of the course you attended) and then transfer. Make sure you research the next course enough.

Good luck...

Tom Dunne

Who awards the Diploma - is it the college itself (not worth a lot) or, is it HETAC accredited?

If it is the college, you might be better cutting your losses and going to the likes of Maynooth to study for a degree. As a Diploma and Degree holder myself, a degree is worth more when you go looking for a job.

On the other hand, you have to ask, can you put up with another year of crap? Seeing as you have gotten this far, would it be sensible to stick it out and get the Diploma. As Johnny Logan sang, what's another year?:D