Meathwoman's Diary: Life beyond exam halls and loud ticking clocks

It was this time three years ago when rescue remedy, aesthetically written flash cards and a candle lit for me in the local church was all that was left to help me get through the next fortnight.

A long five years in secondary school led to these final few angst-filled days. I can still hear the ticking of the clock as I looked around the silent exam hall. ‘Do you know what you want to do when you leave school?’ the question you kept being asked, and mercifully not one that’s on Paper 1, as I didn’t have the answer.

If you haven't figured out what I am talking about yet, it's the Leaving Cert. The exams that everyone and their dog stresses about when the time has come for the next unfortunate student that has to go through it.

The anxiety doesn’t only dwell with the students but with every family member in the household and the question is why?

As the days loom closer to 5th June, many people seem to forget that the Leaving Cert is not the be-all and end-all. Most people will agree that the Leaving Cert is outdated because of how much students are left to rely on their results to progress with their future careers but other access routes to college places and indeed, to life have become a lot more welcoming in recent years with apprenticeships and Post Leaving Cert courses becoming more common as a pathway after school.

The image of PLCs of being something ‘less than’ has long since disappeared. Despite school guidance counsellor's mentioning a PLC as another access route to wherever you wanted to go, no one can tell you how beneficial these courses actually are unless you've attended them yourself.

It wasn't my first choice in attending one until the college offers came out in the later months of the summer to see the course code that I subconsciously knew off by-heart wasn't the course code that came up when my phone pinged, I could never forget the feeling of disappointment but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

What I couldn't and can’t understand was how a PLC is not a compulsory passage of life for students just after completing their Leaving Cert.

Students get to sample a career path with hands-on knowledge, experience and practical application, giving them the assurance (or not) to pursue further education.

There are so many different access routes offered to students these days, but that doesn't mean the process of getting through sixth year becomes any easier.

That’s one you need to figure out yourself.