Music, film, art, journalism and teaching can all offer fulfilling careers, writes Emmet Oliver. CAO forms must be in Galway by this Saturday
Only a few days to go. CAO forms must be in Galway by this Saturday. If you do not want to entrust your precious form to the postal service this late into the process, you can also try their online option at www.cao.ie.
However, some students are still unsure about what to put on their two lists. Below is a look at some other options you might consider.
Teaching
Teaching is always a popular career option and with the economy stagnating and job losses spreading throughout the private sector, school-leavers are likely to put a high premium on the secure nature of teaching employment.
As was evident during the teachers' strike, many teachers believe their pay is inadequate, but their critics counter that three months holidays and job security easily compensate for this.
However, do not expect too much job security in the first few years.
Traditionally teachers spend the early part of their careers in temporary or part-time employment. Only after a lot of hard work and legwork do young teachers land a permanent post. But once they do the rewards are good and the job, while extremely challenging at times, is one of the more interesting career options.
Last year, the number of students putting down an education course (mainly primary teaching) as their first preference rose to 4,403 from 4,126 the year before.
If you want to work with children between the ages of four and 12, then you should consider primary teaching.
The qualification you need is a Bachelor of Education (primary teaching). This is offered in St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin; Coláiste Mhuire, Marino, Dublin 9; Mary Immaculate College, Limerick; Froebel College, Sion Hill, Dublin and the Church of Ireland College, Rathmines. The last two colleges offer their degrees in conjunction with Trinity College.
The B.Ed., as it is known, takes three years, although if you want an honours degree it takes four. The points required for these courses can be high. For example the course at St Pat's required students to have 440 points (with random selection) last year, while Froebel's course (FR 001) required 430 points (also with random selection).
If you get the points, you still have to jump through another hoop. You must have a C3 or better in higher-level Irish for entry to these colleges.
The Church of Ireland college in Rathmines requires you to have higher-level Irish. It says it will accept a D grade, but only if there are not enough applicants with a C3 or better.
It has traditionally been harder to get a permanent job in second-level teaching, but the profession remains popular. However, you need to get a primary degree first and second-level teaching is not offered through the CAO.
Art & Design
The CAO application process could not come at a better time for Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology.
The college last week won the Grand Prix award in the National Digital Media Awards. The work of its students was presented as a group entry and the college also won the Best College for Digital Media award.
Disciplines which have traditionally been diploma or certificate options have been transformed into fully-fledged degrees at Dún Laoghaire. For example, there is a new photography degree (DL 042) and a new animation degree (DL 041).
Not every student wants to do a degree, and the college offers its art diploma (DL 008) for those interested in fine art.
The college, which believes in blending creativity and technology, is also moving into the area of media and English, with its English, Media and Cultural Studies course (DL 242) taking in large numbers of students.
Music/Film:
Some of these courses require students to exhibit their musical or other talents. That means most of them are restricted entry - you need to get them on your list for the CAO by this Saturday.
One such example is the BA in Irish Music and Dance (LM 030) at the Irish World Music Centre at the University of Limerick.
The maximum enrolment is 30 per year on the only specifically designed performance-based course in Irish traditional music and dance.
The ITs are particularly strong in the area of film, particularly at undergraduate level. Dundalk IT is this year offering two diploma courses - Applied Cultural Studies (film) and Communications (creative multimedia).
Communications:
DCU was the pioneer in this area and its communications course (DC 131) retains its popularity. Students learn practical skills in radio, video and photography, along with a grounding in the theory of communication.
The course tends to attract students interested in pursuing careers in television, advertising, journalism or entertainment. About 60 students were admitted last year, but the average score of this group was 505, so competition is fierce. Last year, the cut-off points were 480 and there is no great prospect of that figure falling much this year either.
Journalism
This area has become enormously popular in recent years. Whereas 30 years ago, there was barely anything that could be called a journalism course in this country, nowadays three colleges in the CAO system - DCU, DIT and Griffith College - offer undergraduate journalism courses.
DCU offers a four-year degree (DC 132) which has a strong reputation. Staff are often experienced former journalists and students undertake a work experience programme in a media organisation. This programme is known as INTRA.
At DIT things have changed a little in recent years. Their four-year undergraduate course (FT 353) now comes with a language and students are encouraged to do work experience abroad.
There is also a related course at DIT, Media Arts ( FT 352), which concentrates on television and web-based technologies. A language is also included, normally Irish or French. Both DIT courses are taught in large part by staff with a background in the media industry.
Griffith College offers a national diploma and a degree in journalism and communications. While Griffith charges fees of almost €4,000, this apparent disadvantage could soon change if the other colleges are forced to charge fees courtesy of Mr Dempsey, current Minister for Education.
Optometry
DIT said yesterday it wanted to point out that optometry students are trained to examine eyes and prescribe and fit both spectacles and contact lenses and have a role in referring patients for medical or surgical treatment where appropriate. However, graduates of this course are not qualified to provide such treatment.
Tomorrow's column looks at law courses