There is a shortage of experienced people in these occupations in Ireland at the moment. For further information on Labour Market trends, go to our Labour Market section.
CareersPortal contains a range of resources designed to assist you to make sound, informed decisions about your career. From this site you can complete self-assessment exercises, create a career plan, develop a job search strategy, research employers, explore occupations, keep up to date with our labour market trends, discover training opportunities and watch and read career interviews of people from all walks of life in Ireland.
What's your Career?
We understand a career as a journey, not a destination. You are already on this journey, and have made decisions that have lead you to where you now are.
At various times along our career journey we reach a crossroad. We must choose (or have the opportunity to choose) which direction to move. These times can be exciting, challenging, stressful or frightning depending on circumstances and our readiness to face change.
There are many factors to consider when the time for a change arrives.
Negative Internal factors - such as job dissatisfaction, job apathy or health issues all require you to take stock of who you are and what you want from your life.
Positive Internal factors - such as a passion to follow your dreams, ambition or simply the urge to do what you love to do, requires you to seek out ways to create the realities you desire in the world of work, and overcome whatever leglislative and practical challenges you might be faced with.
Negative External factors - such as job loss, redundancy or change of location requires you to establish a workable financial budget to sustain you until the next opportunity arises, and the skills of planning and managing a job search so that you get that opportunity as soon as possible.
Positive External factors - such as when a new position becomes available, or a promotion, or an attractive redundancy package, requires you to evaluate such opportunities in the context of your short and long term life goals, your values and your life/work balance.
Personal Career Choices
The choices you make are personal, based on your particular circumstances and the opportunities that you are aware of. Each person has a unique journey, and we present here the stories of many people in Ireland who have taken the time to share the decisions they have taken along their career journey. In these stories you will recognise circumstances similar to yours and we hope they will provide an insight into both the occupations they work at and the personal decisions and milestones that marked their journey.
I sat the Leaving Certificate in 1993. The science subjects I had selected gave a strong foundation for preparing me for my Nurse training. I was fortunate following my Leaving Certificate to get a summer position in my local hospital and had my first opportunity to experience hospital life.
I undertook a three year Nurse training programme and worked after my training for 3 years as a Staff Nurse on a Gynaecology Ward where I developed a keen interest in Women's Health. From this experience and from completing additional specialist training I decided to work in the area of pregnancy and to train as a Midwife. This involved an additional 2 years training.
Since qualifying as a midwife I have had the opportunity to work abroad and to be exposed to a multitude of other cultures. Being a Midwife has allowed me to have experiences both personally and professionally which I would otherwise not have had; I have met so many interesting people through my job.
As part of my professional development in midwifery I have completed several educational courses from a Professional, Management and Clinical perspective. I have been successful in being promoted and currently hold the post of Senior Midwife on the Labour ward in Galway University Hospital.
Who said this? Find out here:
Learn For Others
Keep that childlike curiosity about all that is going on around you. There is a vast world of teachers out there if we are willing to pay attention.
How to use this Site
The resources in this site are divided into sections. Use the links in the upper left for information and resources aimed at people at particular phases of their career journey. The remainder of the resources can be found within the three main sections of the site - Career Planning, Work & Employment and Education & Training.
