OPINION: 'The CAO is not the only way' — Alternative options for after the Leaving Cert

I absolutely hate filling out forms. Of all the tasks expected of me as an adult, forms are my least favourite. I’m almost certain this stems from the day, almost exactly 13 years ago, when I had to fill out the CAO for the first time.

When you’re seventeen or eighteen, there’s a terrifying finality to the CAO as it looms over your final years of school.  It feels like the one chance to decide what you do with your life, a huge decision to make so young. 

I remember the sheer panic that kept me up at night in 2011, as the economy crashed around me and  I racked my brains trying to determine a career choice I liked, or that I could make money in. I dreaded the prospect of ending up on a course I hated, or worse; a course that I might drop out of, thereby wasting my time and my parents' money. 

Alternatives Are Out There

In the end I never even took the place offered to me through the CAO. My parents knew me well, and they gave me possibly the best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten from them: apply for a QQI course.

QQI courses are a brilliant and under-rated alternative to the dreadful CAO. You can study a Level 5 QQI course to gain access to a degree that you may not have gotten enough points for through the CAO, and some Further Education and Training (FET) colleges even have direct links into degrees in nearby institutes of technology and universities. 

QQI courses are only one year long, and a lot cheaper than a year of a degree, so they are perfect if you want to get an idea of a degree or a career without actually investing all that time and effort into a degree, or if there’s a degree you know for certain you want, but are worried about not getting the points for. You can also apply after the CAO offers have been made, if you end up not getting what you’d hoped for points-wise.

Explore Your Options

When Limerick student Corinne Gibbons turned 18 she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, so she decided to follow her father’s advice. “When it came to college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at first, I thought about studying nutrition and maybe becoming a dietician. And while I’m still interested in that subject, I didn’t think it was going to be my passion. Then my dad told me he saw a spark of creativity when it came to my passion for photography and that’s when I decided to explore a more creative choice and my parents really supported and helped guide me."

Corrine chose to study the Level 5 Photography programme at Limerick's College of FET, based at the Mulgrave Street Campus in the city.

“From the moment I started there I loved it. It felt like a family at the campus,” she said. ““I never felt like there was any pressure to know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I just felt encouraged to explore my creativity.”

As for advice for anyone not sure about what they want to do after school, her message is simple: “Explore as much as you can. I did night-classes in photography to see if I was interested and then I applied to the Photography programme at the campus and went from there. 

“What I’ve also learnt is that creativity doesn’t come straight away. I’m still finding it actually. You’ll have your doubts and you’ll go through different emotions while you’re looking at your options, but you’ll find someone who will inspire you and push you to find your passion. But if you realise it’s not for you, there are so many other options you can take too. So it’s important to remember that.”

Try and Try Again

The other thing about the CAO is: you can always go back and do it again. There’s no rule that says you only get one try at it; you can accept a place and defer it for a year, you can choose not to accept a place and try again next year, or the year after, or 10 years later. 

I filled out my second CAO application at the age of 26, after finally figuring out what I wanted to study. and while I felt briefly envious of my classmates – fresh out of the Leaving Cert who found a course they loved the first time round, it felt good knowing I had taken the time to find something I loved.

There can be a lot of pressure from seeing people in your class who have known since the Junior Cert what their choices will be, but stay cool. Another good thing to remember is the Change of Mind option. If you’re sitting there on the morning of February 1 still unsure, just put down the best option you can think of then. The Change of Mind is open from May 7 to July 1, and it gives you more time to ponder your choices.

In the end, the CAO is just a tool for you to use, not something to stress over or fear. It can seem daunting trying to decide your future right now, but remember you have so much future ahead of you, and plenty of time to find your way.