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What happened when I chose the wrong college course

Daniela Lupo wanted to do something that would lead to a job in pharmaceuticals but the course made her ‘miserable’

Further education can give students the theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience required for roles in many sectors. Photograph: iStock

Peter McGuire
Tue May 14 2024 - 04:36

“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.”

Daniela Lupo

“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.

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“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.”

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