My Education Week: ‘I work as a nomad, travelling to schools around the country’

Monday

I’m back on the road again, driving out to a school in Dublin. The tune of

Morning Ireland

on the radio is comforting and familiar even if the news is not. These mornings are getting darker. I pop on some jazz.

As the schools liaison officer with Maynooth University, I'm going to talk to the pupils about college life. This is a busy time of year for us. This week, as well as the usual school visits, our admissions team – which I'm part of – is organising our stand for the annual Higher Options conference, which tens of thousands of students will attend to find out more about third-level.

There’s often consternation on the faces of people who ask what I do for a living. In brief, I work with secondary school students to give them information about studying in Maynooth University, and college life in general.

It’s a job that doesn’t neatly fit in any pre-prepared box. A few years ago, a much harried insurance broker decided, for the sake of convenience, that I was a lecturer – sure, don’t you work in a university? I’m not sure my colleagues working within academia would agree with him.

Tuesday

I grew up around Munster. My father was employed by the Board of Works, which was creating employment at a time of mass emigration. Dad worked on river drainage systems, and we followed the river. We moved every three or four years. I was always the new girl in school, always the outsider.

I didn’t have the vocabulary to describe it then, but I knew from an early age that a lot of who we are is dictated by the society we find ourselves in. We like to fit in, and it takes a brave individual to walk the road that is most true to their nature.

This philosophy has informed my work: I encourage students to go for what they are really interested in when choosing a college course. Would the genius and creativity of the iconic Irish designer Eileen Gray have blossomed to its full potential if she hadn't been true to herself? Probably not.

Now I work as a nomad, travelling to schools around the country. This morning, I go to a school in Dublin to discuss careers. This journey is relatively short but, on some days, I could make a six- or seven-hour return trip. My car is my office. Once I have my mobile phone, diary, spare charger, laptop, wallet and car keys, I’m good to go. I turn on the radio and flick stations.

The talk goes well. In the past few years there has been a definite trend towards science, engineering and computing, and a drift away from arts and humanities. I tell students they should pick subjects that suit their ability.

There’s a fear that arts limits career options, but the evidence shows it is the profile of the graduate and what they have done at college that impresses at interviews.

Accepting a degree programme that a student hasn’t researched adequately is one reason why students drop out. Also, the course can be more challenging than they expected. Sometimes they leave because of disappointment that college is not the utopia they thought it would be, and because they miss home.

Wednesday

Some preparation for the Higher Options conference today. At Higher Options, you have to weigh up each situation. Some students will want to talk and some just want to take the information and go. It’s not enough to wait for them to approach us; we need to start conversations and make sure they know we are here to help.

The type of questions that arise are much the same as those that students might ask me when I make a school visit. What does a degree entail? Is there such thing as a bad degree, where I won’t get a good job afterwards? We aim to give students an idea of what university will be like, both socially and academically.

Students are armed with more information than ever before, largely because of the internet and social media. I recall at one Higher Options event, years ago, that I was explaining what an arts degree was. Now, the questions are more focused on course content. This is in no small measure down to the work of school guidance counsellors.

Thursday

Today I have quite a long commute – I’m visiting a school in Sligo. I enjoy the journey, stopping for lunch in Kinneden Organics in Dromad, Co Leitrim. I’m a coeliac and they offer a great selection.

You need stamina for this job. After talking to students today, I meet parents in the evening to talk to them about the CAO. I don’t get home until late and tomorrow will be hectic.

This is a busy time of year for us. Guidance counsellors are calling; the diary is filling up. Many of the schools have had us out to visit in previous years, and we’ve developed good relationships with them.

I do love this job; otherwise I wouldn’t have been doing it for 13 years. It’s not my first profession: I used be a nurse. I went to Maynooth as a mature student, studying English and Greek and Roman civilisation as part of an arts degree, then an MA in English. When I graduated, I took on this job.

Students sometimes want to know what career they will pursue. While there are jobs that do require a specific qualification, many don’t. Perhaps they should be asking: How do I become a graduate? The opportunities open to graduates are vast, and students who avail of opportunities to grow as a person in college, and get involved in student life, will have doors open to them.

Friday

Today I’m up at 6.30am. I have a light breakfast at home, and then a brief Skype chat with one of my sons, who is in

Australia

. I drive to the Maynooth campus, make it in early, park the car, grab a coffee, read through the paper.

Into the office. I'm on the admissions desk, and all sorts of queries are coming in. One person wants to know about buses coming from Carlow. Another asks about lecture times. A mother whose daughter is taking A levels in the UK needs to know about entry requirements.

At 11.45am I head to a school in Meath. This class runs for about 40 minutes, and I talk to students about admission requirements, the CAO, what degrees are on offer at Maynooth, and what scholarships might be open to them.

At the end, there are one or two students who, for whatever reason – possibly shyness about speaking in front of the class – come up and ask me questions. I always leave time for this. The guidance counsellor asks me if I can talk to a student about applying for college through the Disability Access Route to Education. Of course. I always leave time for students.

I drive home. Where did the week go? I make a plan to visit the National Gallery over the weekend. And there will be a walk in Clougherhead, with views of the Mourne Mountains – a perfect way to unwind.

This Week I Was:

Reading: At Home by Bill Bryson

Walking: Magheroarty beach in west Donegal last weekend, looking at Inishbofin (the Donegal one!) while Tory Island stands guard on the Atlantic horizon

Cooking: Quinoa, thanks to Sarah Jane White’s cookbook

Watching: TV show The Honorable Woman, starring Maggie Gyllenhall and Stephen Rea

Going to: A jazz and blues session, which had the added attraction that my son was playing the gig