My son is keen on studying English but I’m worried he’ll struggle to find work

My son is enthusiastic about English and is thinking of applying for a humanities course. I’m worried a degree in this area won’t get him a well-paying job. He’s well capable of getting 600 points and I think a science course would give him more work opportunities. How useful is an English degree? Do graduates struggle to find work?

This is a regular question I get from loving parents concerned about their children’s future.

Hopefully, as adults we have lived fulfilled personal and professional lives and made our fair share of mistakes along the way.

Now it is time for your child to express who they truly are. They may make mistakes along the way, but they have to live with the consequences which making those choices entail.

My daughter’s third-level experience is pretty dismal. Is this normal?

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My daughter worries she will not get the points for teaching. Are there other options?

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My daughter wants to study medicine. Are grinds for the Hpat worth it?

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I want to be a vet, but I’ll never get 600 CAO points. Are there other options?

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Your son loves English and is a keen writer. That is his dynamo, his driving force, the place he feels fully alive.

Studying English in college will fill him with positive energy and a growing sense of self-belief and self-worth.

It will enrich every aspect of his wider college experience and help him to become the man you will be proud of.

Top employers in all sectors actively seek out graduates who can write well, think creatively, and tell stories

The fact that he is academic and could secure maximum points is irrelevant.

CAO points simply indicate the relationship between the number of places a college offers on a particular programme and the number of applicants for those places.

Many colleges are highly strategic in how their marketing strategy uses the CAO points system to attract particular cohorts of applicants.

Nobody should choose a course they would not have otherwise selected based on its high CAO points requirements.

As for the career prospects of English graduates, a recent survey by UCD’s school of English, drama and film found that 98 per cent of students were in employment or further study or training within 12 months of graduation.

Graduates from English enjoy a wide range of employment opportunities in areas such as marketing, communications, education, journalism, creative industries, arts, events management, digital media, sales and recruitment.

Top employers in all sectors actively seek out graduates who can write well, think creatively, and tell stories – about themselves and about the employment/occupation/business they’re in.

A degree in English is based on a core set of employable skills in critical thinking, close analysis, creativity, writing and editing, and communication.

The curriculum in English equips students to engage with a diverse range of cultures, histories and characters, and to imagine constantly how other people see and understand the world.

Studying English in its depth, richness and complexity is a great training for many occupations and roles, and is a great resource to have for life.

Most importantly, studying a subject for which you already have passion and enthusiasm is the ultimate criteria for excelling and for the acquisition of life skills.

[ askbrian@irishtimes.com ]