While thinking about what to do after school can be exciting, it can also be daunting for many students who feel under pressure to make a decision on they want to do with their future.
Exploring your options doesn’t have to be a stressful experience though as Limerick student Corinne Gibbons discovered when she embarked on her own learning journey.
When Corinne from Abbeyfeale in Co. Limerick turned 18 she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, so she decided to follow her father’s advice. “When it came to college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at first, I thought about studying nutrition and maybe becoming a dietician. And while I’m still interested in that subject, I didn’t think it was going to be my passion. Then my dad told me he saw a spark of creativity when it came to my passion for photography and that’s when I decided to explore a more creative choice and my parents really supported and helped guide me through this.”
Photography was a hobby for Corinne’s father who created a dark room in the house he grew up in to see if it was something he had a talent for. When Corinne was growing up he thought she might like to try her hand at it too and bought her a camera for Christmas. It was then he noticed that she also had a creative flair and an eye for taking photographs.
Together they looked up photography courses on google and came across a Level 5 Photography programme at Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board’s College of Further Education and Training, based at the Mulgrave Street Campus. It was a one-year QQI Level 5 programme, which both Corinne and her dad thought would be the perfect opportunity to see if it was something she would like to pursue.
Talking about her time at the campus, Corinne said “From the moment I started there I loved it. It felt like a family at the campus. The other learners were great, we made great friendships, and we got great advice from one another and our lecturers. Our class went on trips abroad to Vienna and around the Mediterranean taking photos, editing them and working on our assignments. The facilities at the campus are brilliant, with all the equipment and lighting we needed. I loved that there was an on-campus dark room that we had access to. This really helped me explore my creative side and I ended up going on to do an Advanced Photography programme at the campus.”
“I never felt like there was any pressure to know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I just felt encouraged to explore my creativity and the lecturers were great. Honestly I don’t think I’d be where I am today without Áine, Dan, and Eoin.”
After graduating from the Mulgrave Street Campus, Corinne went on to study Creative Broadcast and Film Production in TUS where she is currently in her final year of a four-year programme. She has also won three awards for her Documentary ‘Underground Éire’, including a First Cut award in Cork and awards at the Dublin International Film Festival and The Catalyst in Limerick. The film is a music documentary inspired by a group of music learners she met during her time at Mulgrave Street Campus. “I met such a great group of friends at the campus and I decided to do the documentary because I felt young Irish musicians don’t get enough recognition in Ireland, so I wanted to make a documentary and shine a spotlight on what they do,” she explained.
When talking about what comes next, Corinne says she’s busy working on her final year project and throughout her learning journey so far she’s discovered a passion for producing and directing and hopes to go in that direction once she graduates next year.
As for advice for anyone not sure about what they want to do after school, her message is simple: “Explore as much as you can. I did night-classes in photography to see if I was interested and then I applied to the Photography programme at the campus and went from there. What I’ve also learnt is that creativity doesn’t come straight away. I’m still finding it actually. You’ll have your doubts and you’ll go through different emotions while you’re looking at your options, but you’ll find someone (like a parent or friend or the team at Mulgrave Street Campus) who will inspire you and push you to find your passion. But if you realise it’s not for you, there are so many other options you can take too. So it’s important to remember that.”
If, like Corinne, you’d like to explore your passion and be inspired by all the exciting possibilities available at College of FET, Mulgrave Street Campus, including courses in Business, IT, Healthcare, Childcare, Media, Creative Media and Visual Arts, Sports, Hospitality and Tourism, Beauty and Hair log on to www.collegeofFET.ie/Mulgrave
