Savvy Irish students now what they want

`The students are more focused, savvy, and future-orientated than you might remember," the representative from UCD told me at the Higher Options Conference for sixth-year students. I couldn't agree more, especially when I recalled stumbling through the aisles at a college fair 11 years ago, without a specific, career-oriented question in my head. But that was a Chicago convention centre and this was the RDS in Dublin, and the two bore almost no resemblance to each other save for the glossy brochures picturing happy students reading on the university quad.

Compared with the offerings presented at the RDS, there was only one sort of "higher option" at the college fair I attended - small liberal arts colleges, most in the American Midwest. Certainly there were no representatives from the police, from the maritime industry, or from any religious order - all of which had booths at the RDS conference, in a seemingly successful attempt to prove that options are not limited to those going the traditional four-year degree route.

Given the wealth of information on show, I figured that many of the teenagers would have arrived at the conference with a large blank area in their head where the ideas for future plans should reside. But I was quickly disabused of that notion after speaking with a few young conference attendees.

One girl from Leixlip, Co Kildare, patiently explained to this unknowledgeable US reporter the basic workings of the Irish education system, including the crucial point that all the students had to choose subjects for their Leaving Certificate in their fifth year, so their options were already somewhat constrained.

Still, students listened raptly to the advice given by guidance counsellor Mary Gough in her "How to Choose a Career" lecture. "You are capable of working in several career areas," Gough told the packed hall. She warned the students that career changing is expected to become even more common in the next century, and they should look at their first choice as just that, a starting plan. "Choosing a career is a process rather than something you do one evening over the kitchen table," Gough said.

I found that most of these students did have at least short-term ambitions. One told me she was set on obtaining a Post Leaving Certificate in travel and tourism. Her choice, she admitted, was spurred on by the thought of world travel, but she felt it would leave her room to enter the business or marketing world later if she felt so inclined. Her friends agreed that they all had a basic future plan. "I know what course I want, but this conference is helpful in getting more information and in being able to ask specific questions," said one girl intending to go into teaching.

Michelle Duignan, a teacher from Portlaoise who brought 40 students to the conference, said she thought the majority of students had an idea as to what area they were going into, and the major benefit of the conference was the opportunity to speak to students from the various colleges and universities attending.

"They'll listen more carefully to someone their age talk about a course," Duignan said. I was impressed by the variety of presenters on hand to guide the students - besides current and recent students, many universities had brought a faculty member or two to discuss the details of academic life. All I remember from the Chicago fair were public relations officers touting the joys of their colleges' libraries, food service and accommodation.

Of course, US teenagers tended to be less focused in our ambitions. And we had the leisure to do that, since most kids over in the States start university not knowing what they want to study. I enrolled in a college strong in humanities, social sciences AND natural sciences, knowing that I didn't have to choose a "major" until my third year and with no clear idea as to whether I wanted to be a doctor, lawyer or writer.

In a sense, I envied the Irish teenagers who had to have their life arranged so early. I had agonised over my college major, and took many extraneous classes such as sociology and geology on my way to focusing on English and Spanish literature. Were all the students here so much surer of themselves? I noticed the throngs around a few stands promoting volunteer projects that students could undertake during a Transition Year. Having taken a few years off myself (although my indecision period came later, between college and graduate school) to voluntarily teach English in the Peace Corps, I felt an affinity for students taking time off to contemplate the remainder of their lives.

Another equally packed booth was that of the Garda. Being a jaded Chicagoan with a somewhat biased (and negative) view of police forces, I was surprised it was such a sought-after career. Press Officer Ronan Farelly said the force received eight applications for every opening. "We don't have to work too hard to recruit," he said. "Most people are keen to join. It's been very busy today."

Not quite as hectic were the English, Scottish and Welsh college stands. Though they outnumbered the Irish colleges, these presenters were doing less business. Guidance counsellors, Irish college representatives and the students themselves told me this was due to the fact that annual fees of £1,000 or more were charged for British schools, unlike Irish third-level colleges. However, a City University of London representative said the students had not expressed too much concerned over monetary matters. "They asked specific questions about the courses, so they can go home and tell their parents in great detail why exactly they should pay for the course," he said.

The UCD representative said the British institutions attended the conference in such force because they were looking to keep their numbers up. Duignan agreed. "They realise we have talent here and they're making a big play for our students," she said, "but most of our kids will stay at home anyway."