‘My daughter has no idea what to do after the Leaving Cert’

My daughter is sitting the Leaving Cert next June. She still has no idea what to do afterwards. Anytime I bring it up, she says she’s too worried about the exams to decide. I worry she won’t know what to do come next summer. Can you offer any advice?

First of all, there is no need to fret. There is no pressure on your daughter to choose a course or career pathway at this stage. In fact, if she opts for the CAO route, she has until the end of June 2023 to select her courses.

A good starting point in the meantime is to consider where her interests lie. Most guidance counsellors will perform aptitude tests to help focus on where a student’s strengths are. There are also plenty of online options such as the interest profiler on careersportal.ie.

Another option is to attend Higher Options, the biggest annual education expo for second-level students, which provides information on post-second level career and study options.

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It is run by The Irish Times in partnership with the Institute of Guidance Counsellors and takes place from Wednesday, September 21st, to Friday, September 23rd, in the RDS in Dublin.

This event will provide lots of information for school-leavers about their further and higher education study opportunities through apprenticeships or direct employment.

A key benefit is the fact that attendees will be able to engage directly with representatives from universities, colleges and education institutions from Ireland, the UK, Europe and beyond.

There will also be a full programme of talks and live question and answer sessions. Stand-holders will also be able to advise attendees what material to gather.

In addition to Irish universities, representatives of many European Union colleges — where growing numbers of Irish students are choosing to study — can advise on sought-after disciplines such as medicine, veterinary, dentistry, etc, alongside representatives from eunicas.ie, the Irish website which promotes these programmes taught exclusively through English.

Over the years, the benefit to school-leavers of this event depends entirely on each student’s level of preparation. Do some homework on who you want to speak with and questions you want answered.

The Irish Times will publish a supplement in advance of the event, while the Institute of Guidance Counsellors provides students attending — through their guidance counsellors in schools — with a preparation document to enable them to plan their engagements.

Each college will, of course, present the most positive picture possible of the benefits of the various options which their organisation offers, so bear that in mind.

Remember: this is just information gathering. No one expects students to make a final decision concerning their future career options based on visiting Higher Options — but it is a good place to start. These questions you get answers to may well end up shaping your future career.

For more information, visit irishtimes.com/higheroptions

Do you have a careers or education query? Email: askbrian@irishtimes.com