Growing up, says Jonathan Anderson, the idea of becoming a fashion designer seemed far-fetched.
“I remember at school the list of careers was a doctor, a dentist or a lawyer. Becoming an actor or a designer felt like you would be going into a line of poverty,” he told the Gloss a few years ago.
His scenic route into fashion took him via the National Youth Theatre, into drama school in Washington until he returned home and got a job at Brown Thomas in Dublin as a merchandiser for Prada.
The Derryman was recently named as creative director of both men’s and women’s couture at Christian Dior, one of the world’s most prestigious fashion houses. He is the first person since Dior himself to steer both couture lines at the same time.
Carl O’Brien: ‘Jonathan Anderson shows passion - not CAO points - is what matters’
Leaving Cert agricultural science: Some curveballs but lots of choice
Leaving Cert Mandarin Chinese: ‘A harder paper than previous years’
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As Leaving Certs complete their final exams, it can be a powerful and sometimes overwhelming moment of transition.
Anderson shows you don’t need to have it all figured out. Choosing passion over pressure to conform is a useful life lesson. CAO courses do not have to be the be-all and end-all. A passion for what make you tick and gives you a sense of purpose is key.
This week, we’ll be exploring the various pathways for schools leavers – PLCs, apprenticeships, traineeships, tertiary degrees and the CAO; there are genuinely are more pathways than ever for students to explore.
Further education
Learning styles at third level are very different from those associated with the traditional Leaving Cert. One in five students do not progress to second year of college – and the numbers dropping out are on the rise.
Yet, students who opt to apply for a one year further education level five programme in their local Education Training Board (ETB) college in the area are, in many ways, doubly advantaged.
If they secure sufficiently high grades in their Post Leaving Cert (PLC) course, they may well be offered a place in their preferred CAO course irrespective of the Leaving Cert points score they previously secured.
Secondly, their experience of acquiring self-directed learning skills in small class groups can help them successfully make the transition to the learning style required to succeed at our third level. (In fact, dropout rates among college students who completed PLC courses are lower than students entering via the traditional CAO round one route.)
Check the Further Education Course Hub (Fetch courses) to expand students’ horizons.
Places are allocated by each individual college and applications are available online on each of their websites. There is no deadline, but all places are allocated on a first come first served basis, based on suitability.
Exams
It was a quiet day on the Leaving Cert front with Mandarin Chinese and agricultural science among the subjects examined on Monday.
Both had challenging moments, say teachers, but provided a fair test overall.
Up tomorrow for Leaving Certs it’s Spanish (9.30-12.30pm) and Chemistry (2-5pm).
Meanwhile, we’ll be back tomorrow with a look at one of the best-kept secrets of the education world: tertiary degrees.
