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This article is part of our Change Generation project, supported by KBC. To read more click here.
CHOOSING A CAREER is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Some people have it all figured out and will know exactly what they want to do and how they will achieve it. For many though, it’s not so simple.
Before deciding on a career path, ask yourself a few questions: What do I enjoy doing? Where do I want to work? What are employers looking for?
The jobs market
Every month Morgan McKinley releases an Employment Monitor, tracking job opportunities across the economy. In a recent report it found the IT sector is doing the most hiring right now.
At a graduate level, GradIreland has found that companies in the accounting and financial management sector are the top employers of those coming out of third-level education, making up almost one third of the total. It also found there are good opportunities for graduates in the engineering & manufacturing sector, as well as in IT.
A separate report backed by the employers body IBEC, has signaled a major jobs boost is on the horizon for the Irish bio-pharma sector, with the promise of 8,400 new jobs between now and 2020.
Jobs.ie, Irishjobs.ie, RecruitIreland.com and Indeed.com are just some of the advertising sites where you can browse for jobs in Ireland. To find graduate jobs search here. For graduate jobs abroad you can find more information here.
Choosing a career path
Ruairi Kavanagh, editor of GradIreland, told TheJournal.ie that while people should think strategically when it comes to choosing a career path, it’s important not to be blinded by what is popular at the moment.
“Jobs exist now that didn’t exist four years ago and the landscape is going to change dramatically again.”
Sectors like IT, pharma and engineering will continue to be good employers into the future, he said, but deciding on a career path should involve more than just job prospects.
“If you’re looking to get into something just thinking: ‘yes that looks like a good salary prospect or a job prospect’. It’s not really the way to go. You have to have something that aligns with your interests, something you’re really passionate about.”
What employers want
IT literacy is a top priority for most employers. People with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) background are in high demand, while a fluency in a foreign language is a big advantage, especially to anyone hoping to work for a multinational organisation.
Ruairi Kavanagh says whatever sector you are in, if there is a particular company you want to work for, then you should approach them and ask for work experience. It shows initiative and if successful, you will have your foot in the door.
Companies are looking for something that makes potential employees stand out from the crowd. Being involved with clubs and societies at college can also help, says Kavanagh.
“It’s not enough to show up with a degree because you are just one of 35,000 others. You’re just not going to have the key differentials. They’re looking for people who have gotten involved in college, debating societies or potholing clubs, whatever it is. It shows that you can take responsibility for something and you can complete a project. You want to make yourself seem like a well-rounded person.”
Realistic salary expectations
GradIreland figures put the average salary for an Irish graduate at €28,461, but almost 20% will earn less than €24,000 in their first year, while one in ten will earn less than €22,000.
At the upper end, 25% of graduates can expect to make more than €32,000 per year. The best paid sectors are law, legal services and patents, where the average salary for graduate positions is almost €40,000.
Accountancy and financial management jobs had the lowest average salary at €23,000, despite accounting for almost one third of all graduate jobs.
While most of these jobs are located in Dublin, the average pay there is at the bottom of the scale at €24,000.
Apprenticeships
Third-level education is not the only way to get the career that you want.
Guidance counsellor with The Careers Portal, Bernadette Walsh, told TheJournal.ie that apprenticeships can be great alternatives for those who prefer a more hands-on approach to building a career.
“It’s hugely important to remember that apprenticeships are a great opportunity for people to earn while they learn. It’s a very practical way of getting into the area of employment you want and also continuing to learn in a hands-on way,” she said.
Traditional apprenticeships related to the construction sector became virtually non-existent during the recession, but they are being sought after again as trade improves. Information on how to get an apprenticeship in a construction related discipline is available from the Construction Industry Federation.
There are also options outside the traditional types of apprenticeships in sectors like hospitality, financial services and insurance. There are 25 new or proposed apprenticeships in the pipeline, from level 5-9 on the National Framework of Qualifications. For example, Accounting Technicians Ireland is now offering a two-year course to school-leavers. It gives successful candidates the opportunity to earn-as-you-learn and puts them on the path to becoming a chartered accountant.
A comprehensive list and details on the apprenticeships available in Ireland, can be found here.
EIGHT QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE CHOOSING A CAREER PATH
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Just be a luas or bus driver.
Choose a carrer with pension prospects, you will apreciate it when you need it believe me.
You’ll need it even more when they inevitably scrap the state pension. Not a hope this generation of graduates will see a penny of it.
Dreadful advice!! Choose a career doing something you are interested in naturally, something which ideally suits your personality, something that makes the most of your natural talents and most of all something you will enjoy!! I know many , many people that followed crap career advice chasing the money trail and are really miserable! Do something you enjoy and you will never work a day in your life! I know a retired Doctor who was pushed into the career by his parents – he is stinking rich but absolutely miserable – all he wanted to do was be a farmer!! Now he’s a miserable alcoholic that hated his job all the years he was doing it! Pick a career around your interests whatever the wage structure – happiness is more important! !
Amen! Brilliant advice, career happiness is most important, actually more important than anything! I wish they spent more time in school focusing on a career path that suits your ambition and traits! You will rarely excell in a career that you have no passion for, or else you will simply persevere on your path and be miserable doing it! You can be in denial and stick in career that you don’t enjoy, okay you might get the financial reward with a good wage, but in the long term, ultimately your mental health and life happiness comes into play, and trust me it’s not a nice place to be! So choose a career path you can see yourself doing 10 years from now, and don’t just follow the status and money trail! Yes we all have mortgages, bills and dreams, but the reality is you will be working well into 60+ years of age. life can’t always be about work work work, so take a step back before starting on a career decision, same goes for changing careers!
Rose or cauliflower, which one you are going to choose? Sometimes, rose is beautiful, but you can eat it as cauliflower. Most time, the reality is uglier than dream.
Wouldn’t agree with this advice!
The days where you go into a job/sector for life is long gone!
You will have 40 plus of your life working, so remember you will have time to change paths. The most boring people I know, “knew” what they wanted be at 17 and are still slogging away miserable 20 odd years later too stuck to move or change.
Don’t focus on the salary, take opportunities and take learning from each and every job no matter how boring/horrible it is. Do your best no matter if you are cleaning the floors or managing a budget of millions
Remember you are no better than the person below you and the person above you is no better than you, respect all co-workers and demand respect for yourself.
After 13 years in a particular sector, I am starting again in a new sector, that I have a long time wanted to work in. I’m taking a huge reduction in pay, but I’ll manage. It’s a change and a challenge and (I hope) an example to my kids that you can change and adapt, at any age.
An international arms dealer would be a good career at the moment with all the wars around.
My greatest advice to any graduate who has not a breeze what they want to do is to pick some in demand skill and cod themselves into believing they are passionate about it until the age of retirement
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