John O'Brien always wanted to be a doctor. However, he failed to reach the number of points required for medicine and decided to opt for Business and Legal in University College Dublin.
When it became obvious that he would never be happy with any of the career possibilities from this course he went away and worked for a while.
A second stint in university as a mature student doing Arts in Maynooth failed to satisfy him and he moved to the UK to do a pre-medical course in Worcestershire to gain entry to Charles University in Prague.
Now aged 25 and in the second year of his medical training, John has no regrets. He has to work hard to comply with the high standards in Prague but he is happy to be finally studying medicine. He is finally getting to do what he wanted to do all along.
"I had been around the block and I really think I had seen enough of everything else to really know what I wanted. I had always wanted to be a doctor.
"The points for medicine are ludicrous now. I don't see what having an A1 in Irish and English has to do with being a good doctor.
"I like being an international student. It broadens your horizons and Prague is a lovely place to study.
"Throwing yourself into a different system can be tough as is being so far away from home."
John plans to return to Ireland once his training is complete.
However, many of his friends who went away to study medicine in the UK will not return to their homes when they complete their training because they have been away for so long.
This, according to John, is a real shame.
The lack of places for Irish students "forces people to leave and not come back", he said.