Go Visit Your College!

If you have accepted your CAO or College invitation for a course, well done! You have taken the first step. While it is really great and efficient to do everything on line, it is also really useful to visit the College before your courses start.

I realise that if you are living in the country, this might mean an extra trip to the city, but it is well worth it! Each college will organise an "Orientation" or "Introduction day". These are really valuable days, so do attend them.

What happens?

• 
  
  
  You get shown around the college.



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  You will be told how to register and how to choose your major and minor electives.



• 
  
  
  Lecturers will be on hand to describe each subject and what it involves



• 
  
  
  Facilities such as the Library get explained to you. This can be invaluable later on as some systems are complex and would take a long time to figure out on your own.



• 
  
  
  Some colleges have students who took the subject last year in to talk. Chatting with former students can identify pitfalls and give you really handy hints for approaching your course.

Good luck and enjoy your college days

http://www.andreeharpur.com/

www.career-guidance-ireland.com

To Repeat or not to Repeat - that is the Question!

The words every student dreads to hear: “You need to repeat your Leaving!” No one does this willingly! Even the thought of a repeat Leaving makes most students sick. So why on earth would you do it?

Consider the following questions:

a) Do you think that the results you just got in your Leaving Cert reflect your true potential?
b) Are your current results stopping you from doing the course that you would really love to do?
c) In the future when anyone asks you about your Leaving Cert results will you try to avoid the question?

d) If you worked harder do you think you could get a much better result?

You are a serious contender for a repeat Leaving Certificate if you answer:
Question a): No. Question b): Yes. Question c): Yes Question d) Yes

People will tell you that it is not so bad to repeat your Leaving Cert. The Truth: it is!
They will tell you that it is a question of just a few months - the Truth: its not, it’s a year- a long year.
They will tell you that it is not as bad as school – the Truth: its not, it is far worse! It is Boot Camp. The people in repeat schools figure that you are giving over a year of your life to get the results you want – and they want to make sure you get them. You will have to attend all classes, study in the evening, study during holidays etc.
People will tell you that you can still see your friends – the Truth: you will hardly have time to see anybody!
Once you get the above reality clearly into your head, repeating the Leaving Certificate is not too bad at all!!

Only repeat your Leaving Certificate if:

· You now see that you are an adult and you want to take responsibility for your own life
· You know what you want to do and your are prepared to work for it
· You realise that this year will be the toughest one you have had so far, academically, but you are prepared to go through short term pain for long term gain.

Do not repeat your Leaving Cert if:

· You don’t see the point of repeating but your parents want you to do it and you want to get them off your back
· You don’t know what career you want and this course will put in the time (There are loads of other things to do which are far more fun – and cheaper!)
· Your friends are repeating and you want to doss around with them (Your friends will more than likely be studying hard. They will not have time to hang out with you and you will be bored stiff. You will also have wasted a year of your life and a lot of money)
You feel you worked really hard last year and you don't see your results getting any better.

No matter what the results of your Leaving Certificate are, you can still make them work for you.
Our book, coming out in September, will answer the above question and more. It is called Sorted! A Survival Guide for Parents of Students making a Career Choice. Andree Harpur and Mary Quirke. Published by Kite Publications.
Andree Harpur, Career Consultant, Email: info@andreeharpur.com. Web: http://www.andreeharpur.com/ Tel: 01-2788013

http://www.career-guidance-ireland.com/

I did not get any CAO offers!

At the moment I am getting many calls from worried parents and students to say that they did not get any CAO offers, what should they do?

It is important to remember that points can go down in the second round CAO offers so there is always a chance that you will get an offer at that stage.

Just in case research similar courses in the PLC system ( see last post) Also have a look at some private colleges, sometimes the entry points can be lower here. But dont forget, you will have to pay fees here.

Check http://www.cao.ie/ after Aug 26th as some colleges will advertise courses which are not filling up.

www.career-guidance-ireland.com

Support for Parents

As we all know the Leaving Certificate results came out on Wednesday. Since then I have received worried calls from parents. The majority of these were about students who did not do as well as they thought they would in their exams. Parents were wondering what should they do.

We read a lot in the media about points - how they go up and down. In reality none of us know what the points are going to do until the CAO offers come out next week. Points simply work on supply and demand. If there is a demand, the points go up, if not the points go down. We will not know the points until Monday so for the moment - relax!

If you want to create a safety net, go to http://www.codubvec.ie/index.cfm/do/plc_courses/

This site will tell you about the excellent courses in the PLC colleges. You apply directly to the colleges - do this now! Many courses can lead on the the Institutes of Technology.

Over the weekend if the mood is gloomy in your household, dont take it personally. This is so normal and there is not much a Mum or Dad can do. My advice always is to say it with food! This works superbly with the boys, at least!

Cook their favourite meal and serve with a reassuring smile!!

www.career-guidance-ireland.com

If my Intelligence is so "Natural" - how come I need Career Guidance?

In my last blog I talked about Natural Intelligence and how it forms an integral part of our being from the time we were very small. I found that when a client discovered their natural intelligence in our sessions, they often said things like:

"I always knew this, but didn't know I knew it"

or

" I always had a sense of this, but never was able to put it into words"

or

" I knew I could sort of do this, but I thought it was no big deal, because I thought everyone else could do this too"

So if these gifts that we discover are such a natural part of ourselves, why do we need Career Guidance? Why can we just not access them ourselves?

I have found that it can be extremely difficult for people to identify natural skills and talents and apply them to their careers by themselves. It seems that this process is far easier, more enjoyable and successful if we seek the help of a qualified professional.

I have identified some recurring difficulties in identifying our own natural intelligence:

1. 
   
   The Intelligence we have uncovered does not fall within the realm of conventional intelligence so we don't recognise it as such


2. 
   
   It may have been an intelligence that we used very much when we were younger but were told that this is not a real intelligence - it would never lead to a "real" job


3. 
   
   It may form so much part of our personality that we never recognised our gift at all


4. 
   
   We may have had a sense of our gift, but never thought that it could be applied "in the real world"


5. 
   
   Some gifts are so subtle and fine, that it is almost impossible to grasp them or "pin them down" without some kind of objective observation.


6. 
   
   Each individual's gift is so unique that, for the most part, we cannot follow rigidly set down and traditional career paths.


7. 
   
   Discovering our natural gifts can mean uncovering deeper parts of ourselves. Many times it is reassuring to feel that someone can help us to navigate through this.

Career Guidance can then:

1. 
   
   Create a safe, objective environment to explore our natural potential


2. 
   
   Provide the structure to clarify and verbalise practically what these gifts are


3. 
   
   Reassure us that these findings are actually gifts and talents


4. 
   
   Explore how the uncovering of these gifts will influence other parts of our lives


5. 
   
   Introduce a broader context to allow us explore how these newly discovered gifts can be applied to our careers and ultimately to our lives.

Discovering Ourselves in the New Year

The New Year is a wonderful time to take stock of our lives and forge ahead into a new phase. It is always a very busy time in Career Guidance and I have worked with hundreds of people who want to "Make a Change" at this time. Clients initially feel that this involves changing something about themselves - getting rid of some aspect of themselves or acquiring a totally new aspect. This "change", they feel, will allow them to move forward in their lives in a new way.

However, again and again when working with clients, I have made a wonderful discovery - there is nothing to be added or nothing to be taken away. The aspects we need to live life to the fullest and to make the most consisitent and dramatic changes are already there and part of ourselves. We do not need to add or subtract anything ; we simply need to uncover and discover who we were all along.

As I work through the career process with clients, I witness them uncovering parts of themselves that they always suspected were there, but perhaps were never discovered or valued. This hidden potential or "Natural Intelligence" is so much part of ourselves that we take it for granted or, at times, do not even notice it.

To witness a client reconnecting with their true selves is an enormous privilege as a Career Guidance Counsellor. I see a face coming alive, vibrant with energy and colour. I see a person becoming animated and enthusiastic, perhaps for the first time in a long time. I hear them coming up with ideas that have lain dormant for a long time. Doubts begin to fall away and hope takes its place. I see someone discovering a part of themselves and, many times, also discovering the part they can play in their families, their communities and the world as a whole.

Nothing has been added or subtracted - I just see what was always there coming to the fore - the true person coming alive before my eyes.

Truly, this must be the best job in the world!

Your Timetable

During your exams, your timetable becomes a very important piece of paper.

I would advise making several copies of it.

It is really important that your parent, or guardian, has a copy and that you ask them to double check each day for you. In this way, you can know that you do not have to shoulder the responsibility of this all by yourself.

It is a good idea to put your timetable somewhere where several people in your family could see it. I don't advise sticking it on the fridge as it can sometimes not be conducive to eating!

The most common mistake is not getting the day wrong, but the time wrong. It has been known that a student arrives at 2.00pm for an exam that took place at 9.30 that day.

Get someone really responsible to take on the job of double checking for you each day and then you don't have to worry.

A website which has a copy of the timetable and really good exam hints is: http://www.esbexampass.ie/

Have a look.

http://www.career-guidance-ireland.com/