When he left school, John embarked on a four-year marketing degree programme. Within months he had lost interest and started skipping lectures.

"I stayed at home. I couldn't be bothered getting up. I would go in every couple of weeks for a few days. I did the exams but to this day I don't know whether I passed or failed. I didn't bother to get my results because I didn't want to go back." John got a job and - surprisingly - immediately embarked on a night degree programme in business studies, eventually gaining a 2:1 in his finals.

Looking back, he says, there's no one clear reason why he became a college drop-out. His father had died the year before he entered college.

"My father's death affected both me and my siblings. My sister also dropped out for a time," he notes. He found college life restrictive. "It was like being back at school. You had to sign in every day." Most of his friends had gone to other institutions where they had more freedom. Maybe if he'd had more friends around him, he might have continued.

But ultimately, "I think I chose the wrong course. If I was starting again I'd like to do arts", he says. John believes that most people who drop out of third-level do eventually go back - one way or another. "If you're interested in getting an education, you're not going to give up on it," he says.