VIDEO: Irish students reveal their view of the future
This is the time of year final year students have been building toward for four, and in some cases five, years.
The essays, the deadlines, the presentations and the sleepless nights are about to come to an end in just a few short weeks. So now what?
The 'real world' after college is a choice between staying in Ireland and fighting for a job or leaving this fair isle for the shores of Australia, Canada, the US and the UK.
Once upon a time, you could assume a nice job awaited you after the world of academia. This is now a remnant of a distant Irish past.
The world which awaits this year’s graduates is one where ten people emigrate every single hour.
Not a fantastic prospect for final year students, many of whom do not want to leave.
This means many sad departures and distraught mammies at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports waving goodbye to their children, hoping they will someday return.
Barry Murphy, final year Journalism student, is potentially one of these statistics. He explains: "Like a lot of people I'm considering my options - heading abroad would be ideal but that's a big financial commitment. It seems like the best option long term though."
Pawel Kaim, a Multimedia Programming student, believes opportunities are more plentiful in the United States. "I would like to stay here at home but unfortunately the industry I want to work in is thriving in the US and Canada. Hopefully in the future I can return."
Graduation now brings more dread than joy for Irish students as they realise leaving the country might be the only option.
