The perfect job, and how to find it? This is a question that I’m sure many of you have pondered is how do I find my ideal career? Sometimes when you look at the regular offerings on various recruitment sites they are less than inspiring and often cast doubt on whether you are missing […]
Category: Career Guidance
CAO – Change of Mind – All You Need to Know
All You Need to Know About the CAO Change of Mind Facility The CAO Change of Mind Facility opened on May 5th and will remain open until 5:00pm on July 1st. The Central Applications Office (CAO) has begun emailing all applicants who applied to CAO by 1 February this year. The email instructs applicants to […]
Will the Leaving Cert Points rise again next year?
This is a question we at Whitney Career Guidance are being asked a lot of late. Before I answer that question here is a brief overview of what has been happening with Leaving Cert points over the past 5 years. During the period 2017-2019 Leaving Cert points held steady, but there was the usual amount […]
What’s the most satisfying job in the world? You’d be surprised.
© Psychologist Barry Schwartz (2015) – Why We Work Psychologist Barry Schwartz explores the meaning and engagement that some workers feel about professions you might not expect to be fulfilling. Why do we work? Why do we drag ourselves out of bed every morning instead of living lives composed of one pleasure-filled adventure after another? […]
What do I want to be when I Grow Up?
©2020 Mary Hickey What do you want to be when you grow up? What do you want to be when you grow up? This question is often posed to children during primary school. Responses to this question often include; a fireman, a camogie star, a farmer etc. A recent family outing reminded me of this. […]
Timeline for Leaving Certificate 2020
There are many queries coming in from parents and students regarding the timeline for CAO 2020. So to give some clarity on the situation I have put together this short blog. The most immediate and important task for Leaving Certificate Students to complete now is to confirm or opt in to receive Calculated Grades. Even […]
Considering an Apprenticeship
An apprenticeship is described as providing an individual with “The “Professional Ability to Act” by equipping the individual with the ability, knowledge and skill to work in an ever changing labour environment (2019, Apprenticeship Toolbox). The two stage process to the apprenticeship ensures that this “Professional Ability to Act “is based on real work […]
Applying for Medicine – have a Plan B in place.
With around 470 places available to study Medicine within the CAO system I estimate that less than 1% of applicants sitting the leaving cert actually gain a place. To do so they must effectively be capable of achieving a minimum of c.570 points as well as achieving a high score of around 175 on the […]
The Importance of an Honours Degree
One of the most important pieces of advice we can give to Leaving Cert students in our practice is “whatever you do, get a good solid Honours Degree. At least then, you will have a meaningful qualification from which you can launch your career”. The experience of being away at college for three to four […]
Aptitude Tests and their role in Career Guidance
People ring us at Whitney Career Guidance very often and ask the question “do we do Aptitude Tests”? In most cases I’m pretty sure they don’t know what they are actually asking for. There seems to be an old body of opinion in society that completing an aptitude test is the only way to help […]