GOING BACK TO college, says 31-year-old Elaine Finnegan, is “the best thing I ever did. The best investment I ever made in myself.”
In her early twenties, Elaine – originally from Meath but now living in Dublin – dropped out of college twice, struggling to juggle commitments and feeling that full-time work suited her better.
“I did my Leaving Cert and kind of just went to college like everyone. It just didn’t work out for me – I did two years out of four the first time, and less the second time. It just didn’t work out. It was something I always regretted not finishing.”
Choosing to work full-time instead, she went on to build a career in hospitality, becoming a manager at a Dublin restaurant. But she never felt completely satisfied.
“The hours were quite unsocial. It was time to get a move out of hospitality – I wanted to get out,” says Elaine. But she was worried that her lack of other experience would count against her. “Especially when it came to earning potential, I knew it would be difficult to move out of hospitality. I had no experience of office work, so I would have been starting at entry level.”
So she began looking for a way to upskill with a new qualification. “I was just kind of looking around,” she says. “Then I came across the two-year degree with NCI” – National College of Ireland’s two-year BA (Hons) in Business Management.
“I’d worked for some large companies and always had an interest in how they ran, and the business side of things. So it was an opportunity to delve a bit deeper. But the idea of having it done within those two years was a massive, massive pull for me. I had just turned 28 so I was thinking I’d graduate when I turn 30.”
Managing the demands of a degree and full-time work was challenging at first. “It was tough at the start,” says Elaine. “There were some days I’d be leaving for work at 7am and not getting home until 10pm from lectures. But I managed by just getting on with it – I was focused, I knew what I wanted. Over time it just became the norm.”
A supportive environment helped too – something that set the course apart from Elaine’s previous false starts. “We had a great class group. There was a WhatsApp group which was really helpful. And the lecturers always did what they could to help when we were under pressure. They spoke to us more like peers, which I hadn’t experienced before. It was different from my previous experience.”
One of the distinctive offerings of NCI’s two-year degree courses are that they are completed in three stages. Students can elect to move on at any stage, and still come out with a qualification. “If you decide after stage one it’s not for you, you can leave with a level 6 certificate,” says Elaine. “After stage two, you leave with a level 7 diploma. So if something changes and you need to take a break, there’s a huge amount of flexibility. The option being there was quite comforting.”
But completing the full course, and graduating with an honours degree, was a big moment for Elaine. “I was so proud of myself,” she says. “I’ve never felt an achievement like it. I wanted to keep going.”
A year into the course, Elaine moved into the property and finance industry. A year after that, she received a promotion and went into an accounts role. So when the course finished, it was a natural progression to begin an accountancy qualification. Her long-term career goal is now to qualify as a chartered accountant.
“The degree gave me so much more confidence,” she says. “I always felt I was going to job interviews, and not having a degree was something I held against myself. It gave me a really good insight into so many different areas – from accounting, to economics, to marketing.”
Looking back, says Elaine, the experience has been transformational. “It changed everything for me,” she says. And although it was challenging at times, it has put her on a whole new path. “I don’t feel like I’d be where I am now without it. I wouldn’t have the drive to keep moving forward that I have. It’s the best decision I ever made.”
You can take your career to the next level with a qualification from National College of Ireland. Choose a full time course, or follow Elaine into one of our unique two-year part-time honours degrees in Business Management or Human Resource Management Strategy and Practice. To find out more and meet lecturers and admissions staff, register now for our Online Information Event on Saturday 28 August, 11am-1pm.
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