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.
During secondary school I decided to do transition year. The teachers in our school went to great lengths to ensure we experienced as much as possible during the year. One of the science teachers, Ms. Rosemary Ferriter arranged visits to Cork Institute of Technology and University College Cork to speak to scientists & students about the various courses available & the types of careers available. She also demonstrated some interesting experiments which were not on the junior or leaving certificate curriculum. I also had work experience in a solicitors office & the zoology department in UCC. These experiences coupled with the sciences teachers enthusiasm sparked my interest & I decided to do both Physics & Chemistry for the leaving.
During my final year in school I found out that there was a course in the University of Limerick which consisted of Maths, Chemistry & Physics & was also practical as it was a study of materials & their application. Hence following the leaving certificate I started in UL studying Materials Science. A lecturer in the department, Dr Robert Hill, was, like my previous science teacher, extremely enthusiastic. His main research interests lay in the chemistry of biomedical cements & their interaction with the body. Therefore, to experience the medical industry & ensure I was correct in deciding to carry out my FYP (final year project) on biomedical cements, I did my co-operative experience in Boston Scientific in Galway.
During this time I was exposed to many medical devices & how they are used in the body. On returning to college I completed my FYP in biomedical cements & obtained a scholarship to continue my research as a postgraduate. During this time I travelled to many conferences to present papers on my research & learnt about many other areas and which materials could be applied to the body
Who said this? Find out here:
Don't Worry If People Aren't Working As Hard As You Are
Set your own working standards. Do not let other people drag your performance down. In the long run, your efforts will be noticed.
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.
