Caroline tells her incredible personal educational journey from a foundation course at South East Technological University (SETU), onto a level 8 and now another step up the ladder to a Master's.
"I went from a girl at 16, whose mam had died, and I left school with only a Junior Certificate to my name. Now I have gone on to a master's in leadership and education." SETU Graduate, Caroline O’Connor
Caroline O’Connor from Waterford recently graduated from South East Technological University (SETU) with a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Care and Education.
Beginnings
I completed the foundation course here at SETU. While I was there I met other students who were doing Early Childhood Care and Education and I thought that it sounded like the course for me so I gave it a shot.
Get advice
SETU was the University that was the closest. I went into REGSA [now WWAEGS] for a bit of career advice. I had been an early school leaver due to the death of a parent and I hadn’t finished my secondary school programme. I enquired about further education and I chose to do the foundation course here in the SETU because I wanted to go on to third level and get my degree.
Placement
I did two placements, my first one was as an SNA in a small country school. There were only fifty-two pupils in that school, it was a nice experience, I learned all about how schools run, I learned about the curriculum and how they plan activities. I also learned that children of the same age develop on different levels. The second placement was in an early intervention special needs school. I saw how they managed and how they helped the children reach their full potential. It was a really good placement.
A great foundation
I think it is a fantastic course. I would recommend it to anybody. You study sociology, psychology and a bit of law. It gives you a great foundation and opens up many opportunities for you. It is not just about minding children, it could even be a good gateway into primary school teaching. I liked sociology and psychology and finding out why people do the things they do. I liked the harder parts. The reflective writing didn't come easy to me but I managed to balance it out with the help of my friends and classmates. I used to help them and they used to help me, it was really nice.
From foundation to master's
I am doing a master's at SETU's campus in Carlow. I went from a girl at 16, whose mam had died, and I left school with only a Junior Certificate to my name. Now I have gone on to a master's in leadership and education. So if there are people out there who haven’t finished school don’t let that stop you, the hardest part is taking that step into education.
