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AS THOUSANDS OF students receive their Leaving Certificate results this week, it’s important to remember there are always options for your future career. Trust me, I’ve experienced a few.
Before I left school, all I wanted to do was join the army cadets. I was totally against an office or desk-based job, and I believed wholeheartedly that I did not want to spend my working life in that type of environment.
I made it to the final interview stage with the army but unfortunately, a minor medical issue identified there, meant I could never join. I was devastated and for a long time I felt lost.
As this was happening, I was sitting my Leaving Cert. I’d completed a CAO application out of necessity and in the end I took up a place on the Arts Degree programme in UCC. Because I hadn’t thought about studying Arts before this, I just let my interests guide me and picked subjects that I was interested in rather than ones which had a clear career path. I completed a joint degree in philosophy and sociology and then completed a Masters in Sociology.
After college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but from the age of 16, I worked part-time as a chef so, I decided to pursue that next. I had no formal chef training but as I moved around between different kitchens and served more intricate food, I began to really enjoy it, visiting the English Market daily and reading cookbooks in my spare time.
I wasn’t always interested in the law, but during college, I wrote extensively on the topic of morality and the social dynamics which lead to changes in the law e.g. what were the social changes which lead to the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
These interests sparked a desire in me to learn more about how and why societies regulate themselves, and how those rules and structures operate and change. At the same time, I was also interested in topics like logic, argument and critical thinking. These are fundamental principles of being a lawyer and so, again, following my interests, this eventually led me to consider law as a career.
I think the most difficult thing about qualifying as a solicitor is the fear of failure around the process — at least that was the case when I was qualifying.
While you don’t need a law degree, or any degree, to become a solicitor, everyone must sit eight exams known as Final Entrance Exams (Fe1s) and complete a training contract and the educational training course at the Law Society.
The qualifying exams and getting a training contract can be hard, but both are achievable. It’s important to emphasise that becoming a solicitor is not some insurmountable undertaking if you are coming from an alternative background. At the start of my journey, someone who had gone through the process said that to me, and it really helped me persevere.
I found the solicitors training intimidating. I expected to find myself at sea amongst other trainees who, in my mind, must have all been brighter than me, all have done better than me in the Leaving Cert and who all have been planning to study law their entire lives. However, this perception was wrong. The legal community is extremely welcoming and supportive, and I was never made to feel less than my peers.
The critical thinking training I received throughout my Arts Degree and as a chef, doing things properly but efficiently and quickly have been helpful to my current career. Writing a standard solicitor’s letter, in the same way as if you are making good scrambled eggs, should be done properly, with care and attention to detail and always with an eye on whether it can be improved.
Having a non-law background means that I have a different training from all of my law-graduate colleagues, not better or worse, just different. The real benefit of a non-law background is that when you come together with your colleagues to discuss and solve problems, we are collectively bringing more experience, insights, and ideas to the table every time. That benefits everyone. I continue to be grateful that I had the opportunity to study something completely different and still build a career in law afterwards.
As a lawyer, you will make a difference, every single day that you go to work. You will help people when they need help the most. You will sit and speak in rooms where some of the most important decisions are made.
Whether or not you got your points today or you get your top CAO offers next week, don’t worry, there are many pathways to a successful career. Speaking from experience, if you are passionate enough about, are willing to do the work and meet the challenges required to qualify, it will be worth it every day after that.
Cian Moriarty is a partner on the employment team at Philip Lee. He qualified as a solicitor 10 years ago at the Law Society of Ireland.
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Philippines will sort them out in no time
How can other religions move to countries and not cause havoc and mayhem? Can you imagine scientologists blowing up and shooting innocent people? They’d be shut down in a heartbeat so why is the religion of peace tolerated? I’ll tell you why. You’d get labeled a racist by people who hate labels. Can you imagine Jews fighting for Nazi rights just as liberals fight for Islam. This is what happens when you get brainwashed people who swallow mainstream media with an agenda. Wonder why there are no bombings in places like Japan? A tiny Muslim population that’s why. World leaders in common sense and the blindingly obvious.
@SteveW: perhaps tolerated because it is not responsible, it is the social outcast(s) who islamized their radical view, Japan is not immune but western media coverage is more intense here and gives account in English language, you won’t see CNN Japan being tuned into when something happens in Tokyo or anywhere else for that matter
Red not being funny here but what on earth has media coverage or speaking English got to do with anything? What about other countries that have to put up with these large minority”outcasts” you’re defending? Burma, Kashmir, China, Thailand, Kenya, Ceychnya, Phillipines to name a few. And that’s not including Europe and US.
@Red Marauder: it seems like every country islam has settled in there is serious terrorism problem now south Philippines is exploding now into serious violence. south sudan south Thailand nearly all of Africa all across middle east there is major wars going … after watching primtime on RTE tonight on Islamic extremists i am becoming very fearful for my family future and myself and like all other irish people throughout the island of Ireland…..
@Bobby wilson: And that was on RTE , who had an article about everyones favorite troll Katie Hopkins being sacked for saying there is a problem with islam . https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2017/0526/878159-katie-hopkins/
@SteveW: it is simple to install fear you need widespread coverage, so they choose targets which will be in the news, it is repeated everytime, a mall, a concert, twin towers etc, the density of media coverage is highest in Western countries where English is universal
@Remy: everyone can quote the Koran, there is no central regulation, you not need to be a scholar for that, now how you sell it or interpret it is different, there are far more peaceful Muslims than what you hear about in the news
@Red Marauder: ”there are far more peaceful Muslims than what you hear about in the news” . Phew ! Thank god you said that , I was thinking it was the 75% were radical , Thank heavens it’s only the other 25% .
doing some basic math, we get that about 006625% not even close to your estimates
@SteveW: 110%
@Remy: people like you and your ilk are just part of the problem
”Tis gonna be a red Ramadan
This atrocity and outrage will be handled in the Phillipines but it will scare the wits out of us Irish and get us highly exercised.
Many Irish live in fear and terror although we are far from a prime target.
@Tony Daly: I actually can’t think of anyone I know who lives in fear of an ISIS attack. I do know plenty who agree we should do our bit to help those trying to escape the terror of these animals while also protecting ourselves by having proper checks on those entering our country.
@Tony Daly: As far I’m aware no one lives in fear of isis in Ireland , but it’s only right that we examine it’s core ideology . Prime time has a segment on isis in Ireland , which obviously doesn’t exist . Whaaaatt !
@Jane: I am taking lots of the alarmist comments at face value. It could be just posturing of course but after each atrocity the alarmism expressed is voluble and even hysterical.
@Ken Hayden: of course it may just be intentional alarmism and deliberate exaggeration of threat on the part of those who comment on Ireland as a target of ISIS.
I rember the hysterical and emotive comments after previous outrages in Europe predicting Ireland as the next target.
It may just be playing up by those who wish to stir up fear and hate or else the Irish are an especially timid nation.
@Tony Daly: And of course , it just might not be deliberate exaggeration .
It cannot be said enough , not all muslims are terrorists , but in among them , there are people who can be , and are radicalized . Denying there is no threat is not a solution .
@Tony Daly: it’s not fear. Tony or alarmist comments. It’s frustration that the empty vessels that make the most noise ie a small minority of do Gooders that get listened to because they shout racist and the pure frustration at the apologists that are so mind numbingly stupid that they get listened to by policy makers
@Tony Daly: why is their a constant down playing on all this Islamic terrorism across the globe by far left supporters by making out its western countries fault for making Islamic people angry.. Their is attacks on churches in Egypt /Nigeria /Pakistan /Iraq /Syria and many many more soon their will be no more Christians in the middle east except Israel…..
@Bobby wilson: 6 Things that cause islamic terrorism .
Intolerance .
Unemployment .
Poor quality council housing .
Not enough diversity on the BBC .
Islamophobic tweets .
Katie Hopkins .
Things that don’t cause islamic terrorism .
The ancient holy book which promises a blissful eternity in the afterlife for anyone who wages deadly jihad against the infidel .
I’m here in Manila. The chief of cops is on tv saying it was some lad trying to rob chips from the casino. Very much doubt it was ISIS related.
@Richie Kennedy: isis claimed responsibility?
@Jackson Bollovks: When the chips are down .
@Richie Kennedy: any more info Richie? My mum is on Negros at the moment but flying to Manila on Saturday to head home Sunday. Slightly concerned
@Maria ✏️: I’m living in Makati Maria, a city in Metro Manila. No updates but nothing to be concerned about. Might be some heightened security at the airport which is a good thing.
@Maria ✏️: Flights are delayed alright so she could miss a connection. The security in the airport is always tight so I wouldn’t worry too much. It seems to have been a lone gunman trying to steal gambling chips.
@Jackson Bollovks: I’d say they would claim responsibility for anything to sow fear. Doesn’t appear to be a terrorism incident based on the information available.
Casino Royal-Q’aeda
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