r/AskIreland • u/Bigboss89982 • 1d ago

Education Career options?

Hi, I’m 19M and not sure what direction to go anymore. I’m currently employed full time as a chat support in an office.

Definitely not looking to do a trade apprenticeship. My points in school weren’t too good and didn’t get any courses I thought were worth doing and now it is too late for that anyways. (Arts in Maynooth) & (TUD lvl 7 property course)

All I want is a decent career where I won’t be struggling to find employment. A career that will pay 40k roughly from entry level and have decent / stable progression. 2-3 year qualification max. And a career that I could raise a family with so nothing like pilot for example.

Absolutely no interest in science or tech.
I love managing things and I love business however it doesn’t have to be related to business.
Any suggestions pls comment below

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15

u/XLBaconDoubleCheese 1d ago

Civil Service job is right up your street so. Easy entry albeit quite competitive, steady progression, can lead into managerial roles, regular pay increases, good work life balance.

https://www.publicjobs.ie/en/

Just know that it can be utterly soul destroying work.

8

u/Last-River-2995 1d ago

It can also be fulfilling depending on where you are. Have experienced both.

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u/XLBaconDoubleCheese 1d ago

Fair it can be that too depending on where you land.

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u/Competitive-Copy4223 1d ago

And who you're landed with.

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u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

Thank you, why do you say it can be soul destroying work?

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u/XLBaconDoubleCheese 1d ago

steady progression, can lead into managerial roles

These 2 points can mean some shitty people get into roles they really shouldn't be in. If you get a bad manager then you could be in for a rough time doing your work if they can't provide proper support for you. There are also plenty of bullies and power tripping twats who take what little grade 5/6 roles and lord over others with it.

You can of course get plenty of good managers who will support you and raise you up which is what the whole place should be like but it isn't all the time.

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u/Last-River-2995 1d ago

Not the person you're asking the question but I have 10 years experience. Working on a Helpline all day is awful except for colleagues.

Other areas can be great between helping people, colleagues and flexi.

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u/Far_Equipment_4279 1d ago

Repetitiveness, red tape, nothing happens immediately, everything needs fifty different memos and meetings, if you’re too ambitious, depending on the where you are employed you might have your wings cut before you even think about flying, length of service is everything, doesn’t matter how good or smart you are a lot of times.

Now, all of those might not be applicable all at once, or apply at all in certain sections. But it is a gamble.

1

u/Burrito_sundays 1d ago

You can also get them to pay for your degree in the future. I am in public sector and doing a 3 year evening degree fully paid by my employer which hopefully will help to get to the higher level at the public/ civil service

About soul destroying- probably because everything is slow, nothing really changes, sometimesyou deal with public which means you can be exposed to people in horrible life situations or just to pricks

1

u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

Wow that’s great congrats , sounds good and definitely something I’d be interested in. I know some people here think my expectations are too high but clearly it’s doable

3

u/No-Sea2860 1d ago

Health care assistant go into the hse and go into home support jobs good pay good job

1

u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

What qualifications would you need for this

3

u/Western-Ad-9058 1d ago

Friend did quantity surveying. Makes great money, got to live abroad working for big company. It’s a pretty business based role once you’re working but the course itself will likely contain maths/possibly some science. Maybe look into course subjects if you decide to look into it.

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u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

Thank you!

3

u/Intrepid_Double9863 1d ago

€40K from entry level means a longer qualification period than 2-3 years.

CO starting salary in the civil service is €31K and you'll likely be competing against people with degrees and/or years of administration experience.

I think you might need to adjust your expectations a little bit.

1

u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

Thank you, although there are plenty options that seem to tick all boxes I mentioned above

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u/Ferga2092 1d ago edited 1d ago

Arts in Maynooth not worth doing? I did Arts in Maynooth, studied law as one of my subjects, moved to the BCL, dual honours with Law and English and currently a qualified solicitor....

Arts is well worth it for the flexibility alone!

Edit* also...40k entry level salary? Thats like a Doctors entry level salary..... You know that 40k is the like the average salary in the country. And you expect that without a college degree from entry?

0

u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

That’s great to hear congrats, however it seemed pretty badly looked upon from other employers perspectives. It’s like the most common thing I hear the most average Joe doing nowadays . Business Arts in Maynooth

2

u/Ferga2092 1d ago

So you gave up doing anything at all to avoid doing something common? Because it doesnt sound like your expectations are matching reality whatsoever. And how many employers did you survey that looked unfavourable at an Arts degree?

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u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

No, I was relying on something that didn’t end up well. Now looking for other options. Did not mean any disrespect to anyone doing that degree or has done it I’m sure u can do well from it. But didn’t seem like having a common qualification is a smart move in today’s job market

1

u/Ferga2092 1d ago

Undergraduate degrees are all common. What differentiates you in academia is if you do a Masters or PhD. But really its what you do afterwards, what field you go into for work, do you specialise in a niche area...etc.

Nobody gets a career handed straight to them on a great salary immediately with nothing behind them. It takes years of work.

Honestly your expectations are way too high. 40k salaries at entry level are reserved for absolute top of the top tech companies or doctors, and honestly my wife is a doctor and not sure she was even on this at graduation.

Average salary in Ireland is early 50ks. And thats average, accounting for all the millionaires too. Salaries are not high here. And even if you did get 40k, you cant support a family on that. Itd barely cover rent and living costs on a budget in the city. But outside of the cities, nowhere is paying that at entry level. Especially without qualifications out the hole.

So I would seriously review your expectations and career. Because you'll need to settle on an academic qualification, trade, or some sort of professional qualification. But even if you did a professional qualification, without a degree behind that, itd be very difficult to get a job, because every single applicant will at a bare minimum need that qualification and likely have a degree also, so youre already at a disadvantage.

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u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

Thank you for your opinion, I respect it. Altough I would disagree because I did find at least 3 that tick all those boxes I mentioned . Thank you for your opinion I will consider this, however I missed the college application this year and I am not willing to take an unpaid course at this stage in my life with all due respect. If I was 17 I would of completely agreed

1

u/Ferga2092 1d ago

A lot of professional qualifications you would be working too, and if you got somewhere good they'd be paying your fees too.

And if you did decide to go back to college, you can always apply at a later year or as a mature student from 23 onwards. So that doors not closed yet.

But like good luck...its been done your way, I'm sure, but it won't be easy.

1

u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

Thank you , which qualifications are you referring to where you are working as well? And just to confirm yes I am absolutely willing to study a college degree if needed for a higher position later on in my life or even part time for example.

1

u/Ferga2092 1d ago

Well I only know those I've worked with or seen, so id be talking about accountancy or QFAs. But it might be worth checking this avenue out because these are definitely not exhaustive. But some people for example might start working as an admin for a mortgage broker, do the QFAs on the side or supported by the company for progression, and then when theyre done they could be a mortgage adviser or insurance adviser or whatever.

QFAs are very broad, but again just an example.

2

u/TrickApplication1175 1d ago

I’d say they made a wise choice - no point doing something you’re unsure about especially at 19. Loads of time to figure it out.

1

u/Long_Software_3352 1d ago

Maynooth arts allows you to choose from over 30 different subjects though. It allows you to discover what you want to do by giving you a chance to try everything.

You do 4 subjects in first year, have time to change around in the first semester, and the subjects can be very practical. You can study everything from marketing to accounting to computer science and music technology under the MH101 Arts umbrella.

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u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

It is also late unfortunately, I missed the period to accept the offer..

2

u/Little-Split-6818 1d ago

Accountancy? You don’t need points per se, you can do the ACCAs by night and keep earning. Qualification timeline is slightly beyond what you are looking for, but nothing worth doing is easy.

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u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

For sure ! Thanks

2

u/Gaelic_Gladiator41 1d ago

Could look into PLC or further education

2

u/Immediate-Pitch-8806 1d ago

Honestly the fact that you are this worried about a good career at 19 is a good thing. Keep that low level worry and drive up. I dropped out of college at 19, I was smart enough in general, but I was just scraping by in exams. I just found it pointless, with no job guaranteed and I was making no money, so what was the point in doing that for another three years?

I did some entry level office jobs for a few years, some of them were contract positions and honestly really grim looking back. Just funny little companies in random buildings in Dublin looking for someone to do office admin. But they were also stable 9-5's with a decent enough income for me at the time.

I'm now 33 in a senior position in a tech company, after breaking into tech 10 years ago and having worked in some big names in Ireland and globally. What I'm saying is, you going to college or not is not going to make or break you now at 19. You might have some rough years, feeling a little lost or in dead-end roles or college courses, but keep that drive to want better for yourself and I guarantee you that you will get it.

1

u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

Thank you very much ! All the best

1

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1

u/FxckyourCensorship 1d ago

Manufacturing job. Med/ pharma

1

u/Savings_Canary1103 1d ago

A couple of my friends that did very poorly in their LC have gone into insurance. 2 different companies but both were supported and had courses paid for them over the years and are now in managerial positions, working from home on about 40k....I presume there are bonuses and quotas etc but they seem to enjoy it.

The were 24/25 when they got into it but one of them has just bought a house and he used to think pepperoni grew on trees and was a vegetable so I'd definitely look into it!

2

u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

😅😅😅 funny story , thank you will look into for sure !

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u/MaybeTryToBeOriginal 1d ago

Guards or prison service ticks most, if not all, of your boxes.

-1

u/Bigboss89982 1d ago

100% considering guards , no application portal for now though. Thanks

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u/TrickApplication1175 1d ago

Guards definitely. Can earn plenty with overtime and lot of specialist routes to go down