“I put analytical chemistry in TU Dublin down on my CAO form. I initially chose it it because TU Dublin was close enough that I could commute from Meath, and I wanted to do something that was stable and would lead to a high-paying job in pharmaceuticals.
“But I soon started to think I had made the wrong decision. I had never studied chemistry for the Leaving Cert.”
“Most third levels say that they teach students as if they had no prior knowledge of the subject, but I felt I was not comprehending the information. I had always had a passion for science, but I found that studying it was making me lose that love.
“When it came to January of my first year, I remember feeling terrified. I had been studying for the Christmas exams at the time, and I cold not understand what I was learning.
‘Not far right, not anti-immigration’: Independent candidates Gavin Pepper and Philip Sutcliffe seek to clarify what they stand for in Dublin
Truck driver fired for clocking off for night leaving concrete load to go hard wins €2,000 for unfair dismissal
I went to the cinema to see Small Things Like These. By the time I emerged I had concluded the film was crap
‘I’m hoping at least one girl who is on the fence about reporting her violent boyfriend ... will read about my case’
“I hated it, I was miserable, and had no time for anything besides studying.
“Despite this, I stayed for a full year. I was planning on doing the resits in August and then, a week before, I said that I didn’t want to go back. When I said this, my mother was very supportive and open-minded.
“Having dropped out in August, I thought that I would take a year off, as there was no chance at that late stage to move into another level-eight degree. I thought my opportunities, at that stage, were closed off.
“Then I thought of an online course, and I came across Dunboyne College of Further Education, where I saw that they were still accepting applications.
“In school, I used to help the girls with their homework and exam preparation, so I had always had in mind that I loved teaching. I wasn’t sure it was the career for me, so I put down pre-university teaching, a PLC course in Dunboyne [which has links with Maynooth University and its Turn2Teaching programme]. Having had that year, I am now so much more certain in myself, and I am hoping that I will apply to train as a home economics and biology teacher at St Angela’s College in Sligo. Once I have my certificate, this will qualify me to teach as a special needs assistant until then.
“It’s always in the back of your mind that you might choose something you don’t necessarily love. Now, I feel like making mistakes is a crucial part of growing and developing. I was only 17 when I started college and, had I not made that mistake, I would not be the person I am now, or know the things I know or, indeed, have made the friends I made and hold dear to my heart. “So if I had any advice for students worried about making the wrong call, and that feeling persists, it’s okay to choose a different pathway.”
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
