Peer To Peer CAO Special: Finn Gallagher - "After school, it’s totally natural to not know what you want to do, or to feel a bit lost"

Finn Gallagher

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Writing and Literature
ATU Sligo

There’s no doubt that there’s an enormous amount of pressure on Leaving Cert students. With the points race, the constant studying and the whole CAO process itself, it can feel like an arduous task. While my experience navigating CAO itself wasn’t so bad, my experience with the careers department wasn’t so great. When I initially told my teacher that I intended to go into journalism or the music industry, I was basically told this was a poor choice, and I should choose something else.

I’ve been a musician most of my life. Music is everything to me, and to hear this coming from a teacher was a severe blow to my confidence. Foolishly, I took this advice on board and went into computer science. I chose this because I’d done well in LCCS class in school. The jump from school to college was crazy. I only lasted a year before dropping out. I suppose what I’d say to anyone doing their Leaving, is that if you know what you want to do, do it! Don’t let someone else make life decisions on your behalf. You know what’s best for yourself.

I’ve been out of school for almost three years, and I can guarantee you, no one is gonna ask what points you got in your Leaving Cert, or how you did in your Irish oral. After a year out of college, I’m now studying writing and literature. While it’s not what I expected, I’m hoping it leads me in the right direction. After school, it’s totally natural to not know what you want to do, or to feel a bit lost.

You’ve spent your whole life being told what to do and where to go, and then you realise quickly you’re on your own. Never give up. Life has a way of working out, and eventually, you’ll get where you need to be.

Read the full Education special in the current issue of Hot Press: