I will help you identify a career direction, based on your needs and wishes and together we will explore the information you need to succeed.

I will take you through a program that will help you to appreciate what is most likely to give you job satisfaction and success.  The program is made up of a number of stages.  Each stage will  inform your career plan and decision, and the result will be a set of realistic goals and objectives so you can be the ‘architect’ of your own career journey.

It doesn’t matter what stage you are at.  I work with:

• Students planning for leaving certificate
• Students and graduates making college applications
• College Students changing their mind or unsure about their current choices
• Parents or advocates who want to understand more about their child’s choices
• Adults making career changes,
• Adults returning to work
• Anyone who just wants to do something different.

‘Career Confidence’ puts you in control of your own career – whether you are 17 or 70 years of age!

Over the years, I have engaged with a wide variety of people – the youngest at 15 years – the oldest 70 years!

Taking a ‘Universal Design’ Approach – this means it places you at the centre of the process.  It’s true!

Of course – it has to.  Career guidance is the one time you are practically encouraged to be ‘selfish’ and think only about yourself!

I apply a ‘Universal Design Approach’ to Career Guidance – it is about exploring you and your needs and working together to ‘design’ a plan.   Choosing careers has to be realistic and work for you and your life – both as it is now and how you imagine it to be in the future.

Part of the process means exploring what you like to learn…

We all like to learn – in different ways and we all have something we are good at.  Some of us realise our potential in the classroom, some on the sports field.  There are many ways of defining ‘intelligence’ – and what is lovely, is when we find something we like to learn and believe we are good at it.  Identifying ‘this potential’ is often more challenging than it sounds.  Exams can tell us a lot – but so can hobbies and interests, what we do in our spare time and so many other things.  It all matters!

Being ‘good’ at something is one thing – but ‘how’ you like to learn another.  Did you ever stop to think about whether you like to learn ‘on the move’ or not.  Perhaps you like to explore things on your own or with the guidance of a teacher.   Maybe you already had to ‘learn’ differently due to a disability or specific learning difficulty.

What is most important is that I take an ‘Inclusive Approach’ to Career Guidance – and so am most interested in designing your plan based on what you believe works for you.  It’s not a one-size fits all approach – it is an individual and bespoke process.  Your career journey after all is particular to you.

Does what I’m interested in really matter?

Yes – of course!  In our busy lives, many people can loose sight of their interests!  Life can be busy with many different demands – study or work.  Our interests can suffer.  But interests motivate us and keep it real.  Exploring hobbies and how you like to have fun is also an important factor in your career journey.  It is these interests that add value to what you do.

The program is carried out by a qualified and registered professional actively engaged in research in “Universal Design” and “Career Guidance”.  It aims to identify your aptitudes (what you are good at), your interests (what you prefer doing) and key traits in your personality that make the difference between just working and actually enjoying what you do while also taking into consideration any factors that are unique to you.  

The program results in identifying a direction and the information you need to secure an education course or work.

Remember, there is a distinct difference between discussing different jobs and actually working through a process to find what best suits and works for you.

I will assist you in exploring what you need to know about yourself and your experiences up to now; so you can move forward with confidence.

The program investigates many areas (including aptitude, interest and personality) using a combination of testing and exploratory work.   Past experience of learning, work and interests, aspirations and achievements are all relevant.

This means lots of probing questions that aim to

• Assist in the selection of subjects and courses appropriate to the client
• Help obtain accurate, up-to-date information about where you are at;
• Guide you on your journey to the next level – making sense of subjects, courses and levels of achievement necessary
• Provide information on all learning establishments in Ireland and further afield (the courses these institutions offer, prerequisite subjects and anything else you may need to know)
• Assist in planning a change of career
• Give you a well-informed plan – that start with you!

Only when you know what you want to do – can you confidently

• Move forward,
• Realise your true potential
• And enjoy what you do.

 When it comes to making career choices – you need to take the time and consult with Career Confidence.

 What I expect from you, in a Career Guidance Consultation?

I will invite you to take the time for this program as you explore your natural traits, abilities, interests and intelligences.  

I will ask you to

• Participate honestly with the process
• Complete some psychometric tests in your own time     
• Contribute to in-depth exploration of past learning and work experiences
• Engage with the feedback where we identify all options.  (This feedback can also involves parents or advocates).

A subsequent written Report summarising the outcome of the Career Assessment will be shared with you after.

I finally invite you to evaluate the process, as it is every experience contributes to the career guidance experience.