As it Stands: A degree is not the only route to a good career or future

September is, among other things, the month when many 17- and 18-year-olds around the country head off to Third Level Institutions.

School is over, and a new adventure begins. It is seen as a rite of passage for many young people. The start of life as a young adult. This mass migration, for want of a better term, of young people is also expensive and fraught with challenges.

Not least of these is finding affordable accommodation, particularly in the cities.

The day when CAO offers are made to school leavers has become a big event in the education world. My own industry, the media, ramps it up too, with analysis of trends in courses and what students should do if they don’t get their first choice.

There can be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ feel to this time of year. The reality is that Third Level degree courses are not for everyone.

Every student has different aptitudes and interests. Apprenticeships, both in the traditional trades and new sectors, are also available. Post Leaving Cert courses can be a bridge between school and Third Level or even a pathway to employment.

I attended a Post Leaving Cert course myself as a mature student. I remember looking at empty desks with computers in the classroom and thinking that there were learning opportunities for many others too.

There were school leavers that year, 2016, who could have attended that course. Some of those might have ended up dropping out of Third Level courses by the end of that academic year.

Acquiring a PLC could have meant that they enrolled in a Third Level course more suited to them.

In the academic year of 2021/2022, 15% of students in Third Level did not make it past first year. That is a worrying statistic and suggests that too many students go to Third Level for the wrong reasons.

There is sometimes an unstated assumption that school leavers will be heading to Third Level. This ignores the fact that there are many opportunities available outside the three- or four-year degree route.

Education is a privilege and should never be taken for granted.

When the great recession of 2008 hit, degrees and even masters in some fields became as useful as the proverbial ashtray on a motorbike.

The narrative that was sold to people of my generation that a degree equated to a good job was upended. In fact, at a time when jobs were scarce, it was those with trades or practical skills who had the most chance of work.

The economy is very much on the up in recent years and there is virtually full employment. However, the notion that a degree is required for a good career must always be challenged.

The construction and hospitality sectors are just two areas that have reported a shortage of skilled staff.

Education in itself was once valued, but now the type of course that a student chooses is open to scrutiny.

Nobody would be claiming that a degree in Philosophy will open up great career opportunities. However, education in itself broadens horizons for students and it should not be always come with a narrow career focus.

The massive emphasis on education in this country has led to a snobbery towards certain jobs, in my opinion.

There was a time when Irish people were glad of jobs in retail or fast food restaurants. However, the reality is that as a country we rely on immigrants to do many of the low paid jobs.

We consume and spend more and more, but don’t ask us to work in the places where we get these goods.

It must be bewildering to be a 17 or 18 year old now and faced with so many possible education options.

One thing is certain. The day of the ‘job for life’ is over. Many people, including myself, have returned to education during their life.

There certainly needs to be less emphasis on the day that CAO offers come out. It is a day like any other. It will not define what school leavers become in the future.