final CAO choices

June 28th, 2022 | No Comments

Decision making is a mix of emotion and information – you need to know what you’re letting yourself in for and it has to feel right.
Once you decide on your 1st choice be consistent with your 2nd & 3rd preferences, etc – make them similar to your 1st.
There are always alternate routes – use some of the remaining options as alternative routes to your main goal. In past years too many students with high points were left with no college/university offers because they picked just a few highly competitive courses with no back-up plans.
Be smart, make sure you also have one insurance option.
Remember to check that you meet any special entry requirements – if you don’t have these then choose an alternate route.
If you’re stuck then ask for help from family or if you would like to have a chat just give me a call.
Lastly be optimistic and ambitious – identify the challenge you’ll relish the most and choose what feels right for you.

Get your head out of the sand – 7 steps to making the right choice

October 20th, 2021 | No Comments

Don’t wait, act now. It will be Christmas before you know it.
The university college application deadlines follow quickly after that.
And then you’re into exams mode …

Open Day season is now running so;

Start with what you think interests you most (asking how it relates to your strengths/talents), what you’d like to be good at and/or skills you’d like to develop – if you’re not sure what you’d prefer just ask your family, friends, take interest/aptitude tests, talk to your Guidance Counsellor
Decide if you’d prefer a definite/career-focused/applied or a broad/open-ended/academic course
Find out where you can do it using Qualifax, Eunicas & CareersPortal
Check out their Virtual Open Day or specific Career Fair – you can get a list of these on the Qualifax Events Calendar
Organise your own visit for your top few choices if your school isn’t doing one – it’s up to you to find a way to get informed
Review the full course details online and jot down anything you’re unsure about – you will want these queries to be answered
Share your insights & experiences with your family & friends – this is the bit that helps you clarify your feelings about these choices before you make a final commitment

To help you do this there are many course & career websites – save time by being very specific when researching on unibrowse, qualifax, eunicas, & careersportal, onetonline, etc

Do yourself a favour, get stuck into the task now. Get informed & set yourself a definite goal. It’s time to get ready.

You’ll feel better, more purposeful and in control of your own destiny

You can’t enjoy life without skills

September 1st, 2021 | No Comments

There’s immense pleasure to be had from acquiring skills,

in learning how to do anything well.
Life is enhanced & fulfilling by learning the discipline of a skill, even though it often takes a lot of time & effort.

To be happy,

is to be able to develop your skills, talents & intelligences
in a endeavour based on the learning that interests you most.

Identify your preferences & strengths to make smarter choices.

Need guidance but going nowhere?

April 20th, 2020

Consider our Teleguidance video-conference service

– just call for details.

CAO choices bothering you, with exams about to start

May 16th, 2018

If your teen can’t resolve their choices by this Saturday, that’s ok and it’s quite normal.

It’s time for them to be uni-focal by ignoring all distractions, limiting/excluding social-media usage and just concentrating on the task at hand. Get them to set the whole issue aside until the exams over – by then everything will look differently and they’ll have time to focus on college and career preferences.

Now is the time to be single-minded about preparation for the exams. To do this they must focus on work and block out anything that’s not essential to the task at hand – prioritize their time for study, but do include some exercise, a little socialising, and enough sleep.

When the exams are over then they should focus solely on finalizing their choices by researching and talking through their preferences with whoever is helping them (most need hands on help). And remember it’s not for ever, it’s only for the next phase of their life.

It’ll all be over soon and hopefully the sun will arrive for a good summer

10 tips for choosing your Leaving Cert subjects

February 7th, 2017 | 2 Comments

Be interested.

If you enjoy doing something, you will ultimately do it well. Pick subjects that you have liked, enjoyed and shown an enthusiasm for. So often you can pick a subject because of the teacher, maybe you like them or hear they are good, but it might not be the subject you would enjoy the most. Although a teacher or parent’s input is very important, you are going to be the one who has to do the subject. So make sure you are interested in learning that subject. It makes your chances of success far greater.
Be Brave.

Sometimes the easy choices are not the right ones. If you have an interest in a career or course area which involves a particular subject you consider challenging, be brave and take it now. A lot of students make the mistake of choosing just one science subject. If you like science, be smart, keep your options open and take a second one. This doesn’t mean that you are choosing a science based career at this stage, but you will be better prepared to make that decision if you eventually do. For example, it would be advisable to take Maths & Physics for engineering but it’s essential to have Honours Chemistry for Nutrition & Dietetics. Be brave now. Read the rest of this entry »