Heading to college? Time to get your life in order!
Over the next few weeks and months, you’ll be asked the simplest and most difficult question known to man: what do you want to do?
Being a student is a right laugh but perhaps the most important ingredient is finding the right course and getting your life on a track you think you’ll enjoy and thrive in.
Fear not, we’ve teamed up with Smart Futures and have been looking at the alternative career paths to consider before completing that all-important CAO form.
Here’s a rough guide to getting through it.
1. Thou shalt not fear choosing the course you love most
Many people worry when picking their college course about what the end goal is. The reality is, college lasts a long time and you’ll undergo probably the steepest learning curve of your life throughout it.
We know you’re mad about sport, but if you think a course like Sport Science will limit your options in life the think again – falling under Smart Futures’ sTEM (Science, technology, engineering, maths) bracket, you will be exposed to a wide range of disciplines including psychology, physiology, biomechanics and data analysis.
You’ll come away with more than enough options for your future.
Pick the course you’re most interested in – don’t hedge your bets – and you’ll discover the path you want to walk.
Hey, you might even end up writing about sport.
2. Thou shalt not have any false idols
Have real ones instead. There are any number of interesting Irish men and women making a real difference in the science of sport globally. Take a man close to our heart, Mr. Jerry Flannery, he studied for a masters in sports performance at the University of Limerick and went on to become a strength and conditioning coach at Arsenal. A true idol!
3. Thou shalt not take the gaming world’s name in vain
Don’t scoff at it, you could make a career out of your love of FIFA or Football Manager.
Imagine going on to become a games designer and creating your own alternate reality in the future.
4. Remember to keep holy the …
If you’re serious about a career in sport, be it science, technology or engineering, you might need to work the odd Sabbath. Sorry.
5. Honour your HTML5
Let’s be honest, websites aren’t going to go out of fashion any time soon.
Neither is the need to build them or work in them. The digital age has offered more and more careers that were once never thought possible. Social media executives, strategists, creative producers are all required now to feed a company’s online machine and sports teams one-by-one are joining the party.
This sector is going to explode in the local sporting world in the near future and what better way to get yourself ahead than a web designer course or becoming a computer scientist. Combine that with your love of sport? You’re laughing.
After entries from around the world we have our @FootballManager winner! Congrats Yuyang Zhou! Full details https://t.co/JZEMK9XPii
— Cabinteely FC (@Cabinteely_FC) December 3, 2015
6. Thou shalt not kill
That goes without saying.
7. Thou shalt commit adultery
Do it. Variety is the spice of life. And it is mightily effective when building yourself a well-rounded future.
At college, you’ll find opportunities to join clubs, research programmes, to volunteer with PhD students and it will all help you find the right life for you.
Combine your love of sport with maths or engineering and discover new ways for technology to advance how we play, view or prepare for sport. Learn how the body works in sport science, amalgamate it with physiotherapy. Don’t close yourself off.
8. Thou shalt not steal a career that isn’t yours
Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.
If you like sport, work in sport. It doesn’t matter if you’re more mathematically orientated or have a knack for design and engineering. You could create the next advancement in protective gear, you could be mucking around with the next big toy to hit the shops.
If you like keeping yourself in shape and eating right – you can make a career out of it. Nutritionists know what they’re talking about.
Any sport team is now fully stocked with a backroom of experts. Who have done their qualifications.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against yourself
Live the life and career you love. Don’t live a lie.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s career
Because, if you find the path that’s right for you with Smart Futures, you’ll be perfectly content with your own. There’s so many opportunities ahead of you.
Check out the short video below to find out more about starting a career in STEM.
