There are many different paths one can follow to succeed in this world, and they all don’t follow the conventional routes of school, college then work. For instance, I left school, repeated my Leaving Cert and did not get the points I needed, so I did a PLC course and then started working. During the first 10 years of my working career I performed well, but found that lack of qualifications and academic knowledge was holding me back from taking the next step which I so deeply wanted to do. I then went back to college and 17 years after my Leaving Cert, completed a Master’s Degree.
My brother on the other hand did his Leaving Cert, got the CAO points, and went straight to college, only to drop out 6 months later, deciding to do an apprenticeship instead. Again, he also returned to college and 11 years after leaving school, he has an extremely successful career and has just finished his Higher Degree.
You see, the most important ingredient in all of this is having the desire and motivation to progress, the willingness to be the best you can be, to see your weaknesses and improve. This moment of enlightenment happens at different times for all of us, some are born ready and some later in life as we mature, or in my case directly as a result of a life experience.
So, although the traditional route of school then college makes sense and is compulsory for some professions, remember it’s not the end of the world if things don’t pan out that way for you. Follow your gut instinct as it will very rarely put you wrong. It’s also important to point out that even though college may not be right for you now, academic qualifications are vitally important to possess if even just for security. You may wish to drop out of college today, but at some point in the future when you are ready, you will realise that you must return out of necessity or passion, as knowledge is power!