CAO 2025: Expert guidance to keep students on the right track

Leading guidance counsellors offer advice for CAO applicants

Applying for a college place is a key step towards a career choice, getting the education and then the experience required for that career. Picture: iStock

Leaving Certificate students around Ireland are gearing up for the coming months, which will be filled with mock exams, orals, college applications and general decisions about their future.

To help ease this stress and guide students in the right direction, Limerick-based career coach Cathy Balfe and Cork-based guidance counsellor Aisling Falvey spoke to the Irish Examiner to give their top tips for juggling the pressures of sixth year.

The CAO application deadline is February 1, and students will be figuring out what courses they should put on their list of choices. 

Cathy Balfe, founder of Career Coach Me, says students should follow a “step-by-step approach to career development” when trying to figure out what industry they want to go into.

“The first step is career choice, followed by getting any education or experience required for that career, followed by actively looking for and applying for roles,” Ms Balfe says.

Career coach Cathy Balfe: 'Higher education is not a financial and time investment that makes sense for everyone. Some people prefer to learn by doing, and for those who like working with their hands, career options that are accessed through traditional apprenticeships are often appealing.'

“Of these three steps, the most challenging for individuals is career choice. I break this into four smaller steps. First, understanding yourself — what skills are you good at and do you enjoy using, what type of work do you want to be doing, and what are the other factors or constraints impacting your career choice?”

“Second, what are the occupations that might be a good fit for you, now you have a good idea of your work preferences and priorities? Third, it’s about taking the shortlist of options you’ve identified as possibilities and researching them — with the goal of narrowing down your options.”

Finally, having done all these steps, you are in a good position to weigh up the pros and cons of your remaining options and make an informed career choice. Once you have an idea of this, you are then in a good place to explore education choices that will set you up to pursue your chosen career.

Deciding what you want to do post-secondary school can be scary, especially the idea that whatever you choose, you will be working in that field or job for life. But as Ms Balfe points out, careers are lasting longer nowadays and students currently sitting their Leaving Certificate likely to be working until they are 70 or older.

“Upskilling, reskilling and lifelong learning is becoming more important than ever. People often engage in additional education later in their life to facilitate career progression and sometimes career change,” she says.

“There are a wide range of conversion courses and postgraduate courses that graduates can enrol in that can facilitate career change where particular qualifications are required. For example, the Irish government launched Springboard+ in 2011, which offers a wide range of courses at NFQ levels 6 to 9 that are either heavily subsidised or free for eligible applicants. This is a low-cost and often very flexible way to upskill or reskill.”

An alternative route to establishing a career, outside of a university course, could be to undertake an apprenticeship.

“Higher education is not a financial and time investment that makes sense for everyone. Some people prefer to learn by doing, and for those who like working with their hands, career options that are accessed through traditional apprenticeships are often appealing,” Ms Balfe says.

“Apprenticeships offer the opportunity to ‘earn while you learn’ and there are a wider range of apprenticeships available than ever before. In addition to the traditional industries like construction, electrical, motor, agriculture/horticulture, hospitality, food and hairdressing industries, there are also apprenticeships available for individuals interested in working in biopharma, engineering, finance, health and social work, ICT, insurance, logistics, real estate, recruitment, sales and marketing.” 

Cork-based guidance counsellor Aisling Falvey: 'I think stress and anxiety in relation to exams has really intensified for students over the last number of years.'

Aisling Falvey, founder of www.aislingfalveyguidancecounselling.ie, says there are strategies Leaving Certificate students can adopt to balance the demands of the year while also planning for their future.

“I think stress and anxiety in relation to exams has really intensified for students over the last number of years. They face a lot of pressure in senior cycle, and I think it is more important than ever to just set both short-term goals while developing a long-term perspective,” she says.

“In terms of short-term goals, students should break the year into manageable chunks. Focus on weekly or monthly targets rather than getting overwhelmed by the end goal. Focus on the task in hand and control the controllables. Focus on what you can do each day and try not to think months and months ahead.”

"In terms of long-term goals, students should remember that the Leaving Cert is a stepping stone to your future and that it does not define you."

Ms Falvey says students should develop a realistic study plan and create a timetable that includes both study and downtime, because overloading yourself “is really counterproductive”.

The most common mistake that I see is that students try to do too much. They are not realistic in relation to what they can achieve in terms of study, and this leads to feelings of stress, negativity and poor self-esteem.

“They should prioritise subjects and topics based on their strengths and bear in mind their weaknesses.”

“I would strongly encourage students to incorporate exam sample papers into their study routine as it’s important to become accustomed to exam language. They should also take regular breaks, especially over the mid-term and Easter period because breaks are essential for productivity.”

Ms Falvey recommends adopting a study technique called the Pomodoro method, where you study for 25 minutes and then take a five-minute break to go for a walk, do 10 jumping jacks or any activity that “keeps the blood moving”.

She also recommends keeping on top of nutrition, keeping hydrated and eating healthy snacks as ways to keep the mind sharp during stressful periods.

Finally, her top advice for students who may be struggling in the coming months is to ask for help and celebrate the small wins.

“If you are struggling with a subject, ask your teachers as they are your greatest academic resource. Talk to your family, your friends or your guidance counsellor,” she says.

“Try to keep a broad perspective on things. While the Leaving Cert is important, there are so many alternative routes to your goals if things don’t go as planned, like PLC courses or tertiary degree programmes.”

“Finally, make sure to celebrate the small wins along the way to remind yourself of the progress you are making.

“Have something nice planned for yourself for when you have completed your oral exams, or when you have completed your mock exams to remind yourself of how far you’ve come and the progress that you’re making.”