Many students do not take certificate and diploma courses seriously. Some students will have flung their Round 1 offer of a place on a certificate or a diploma course from the CAO into the nearest bin, without stopping to consider their options fully.

More than 43,000 college applicants received offers of certificate or diploma courses at third level colleges from the CAO this year. Round 2 offers will arrive today. Don't be hasty. Study the offer. Certificate and diploma courses are valuable qualifications in their own right but also it's worth bearing in mind that they can lead on to a degree course.

If you received a certificate/diploma offer in the post this August and did fling that said offer into the bin, tut-tut, you should know that you may live to regret your actions. If your second offer is now on the table, take a serious look at it. Don't be disappointed if it says certificate or diploma.

If you check the CAO handbook you will find that many certificate and diploma courses have +DG and +DP in the columns beside them. +DP means an add-on diploma is on offer, while +DG means an add-on degree is available. The college prospectus should have more details.

The usual structure is for students to do a two-year certificate, followed by a one-year diploma, followed by a two-year add-on degree. Or you may begin your studies with a three year ab-initio diploma and then progress to a degree. Some add-on degrees are just one rather than two years.

You must achieve certain grades in your exams, usually a merit or a distinction, to progress up the "ladder of opportunity". Alternatively, if you pass your certificate, it may be possible to gain a year's relevant work experience and return to college later. (This does not apply to going from diploma to degree.)

Eligible students are entitled to free fees and maintenance grants as they progress to a degree, wither this takes four or five years. There are now more than 100 add-on options available, spanning areas as diverse as tourism and hospitality management, software engineering, industrial environmental science, journalism and media communication, and health, fitness and leisure studies.

You may find that the certificate or diploma offer you are holding will take you through to the very degree you wanted. Of course, certificates and diplomas are valid qualifications on this own right and the qualification may give you the entree to the career of your choice.

For example should you accept a place on a national certificate in business studies course in your local IT, this two-year, full-time course will prepare you for a variety of careers in industrial, commercial and service organisations.

If you wish to continue your studies and you achieve the required standard in the certificate, you can then apply to join one of the college's national diploma courses in business studies, or you can apply to any other third-level college for one of their business diplomas. Alternatively, you could avail of the exemptions granted by professional accountancy bodies and opt to join full-time accountancy studies at another IT.