What is the Leaving Cert all about?

What the Leaving Cert is really all about... dreams, rich daddies, rest, Snapchat, the exam diary, heartbreak, an unforgiving media... all great preparation life, writes Colm O’Regan

It can be bewildering this time of year. There are reams of newsprint to wade through, hours of radio, minutes of snippets of news reports on the television. The Leaving Cert media cycle is a lot of work, so in case you don’t have time, this is all of it condensed into a small area. There are a few broad categories of item.

Reminiscing: People say that the Leaving Cert doesn’t prepare you for real life, that it doesn’t develop the skills that are really needed, that it is merely an obstruction along the path linking you and your dreams about the future. I say nonsense. The Leaving Cert is a great way to follow your dreams, particularly if your dream is to appear on the media every June talking about what it was like in your day. It’s usually a businessman who got 7 points (in old money) and is now worth millions. “You don’t need a piece of paper to prove your worth or ability. You just need a father who’s already in business to give you a start.”