CAO: 'There’s always jam making!'

At the moment, stress is overwhelming students as uncertainty mounts about the Leaving Cert. While the Government dithers, students worry. The weight of this pressure, which piles up daily, is felt by every Leaving Cert student in Ireland.

As the Leaving Cert inches closer, the CAO deadline of February 1st is upon us and students will have to decide their college choices, without knowing if there will even be a Leaving Cert exam.

So how are students expected to cope with this level of stress let alone pick a college course?

This brings me back to my happy place - making jam!

In first year, a teacher once told my class mystical tales of a “jam making” course on the Aran Islands. This course was only 45 CAO points. She did this in an apparent attempt to scare us!

For me, it had the opposite effect. In times of exam stress my mind often wandered off to the Aran Islands where I could imagine myself picking berries and making jam.

It would be a simple life, one that the Irish artist Paul Henry himself would envy. It was a comforting thought. One that offered hope, not fear.

However, this fantasy quickly faded. I found out that the imaginary jam I would be making wasn’t the edible type, instead I would be making door jambs. An integral part of the structure around a door, yes, but not the world of fruit, berries and sugar I had hoped for.

To make matters worse I was told later again that the course doesn’t even exist.

That said, there are plenty of Level 8 courses available through the CAO.

Rugby fanatics can go for Coaching and Sport Performance while budding entrepreneurs can go for Business and Marketing but my personal favourite, and new fall-back plan, is Baking and Pastry Arts Management! Mary Berry eat your heart out!

Our future is uncertain and the virus is uncontrollable and, all the while, robots are being built to replace my generation’s future.

It would be easy to get stressed but I have decided to look my worst exam fears in the eye and face them head-on.

Theoptions may not include my coveted Jam Making course but there is Baking and a ton of other great options. So now, when I stress, I pop open my imaginary oven, smell the sweet scent of blueberries, and take a bite out of a succulent muffin.

While I strive for the best, I will no longer fear the worst. The future’s possibilities are endless and we are in charge.