I Wish We Had Tools Like Course Compass When I Was Choosing My Future

I'm currently in 3rd Year studying PE and Maths Teaching, and my plan is to become a guidance counsellor.

So, I suppose I have a slightly different perspective on the whole career guidance side of things.

I've been on both sides of it. I've been the student sitting in school trying to figure out what I wanted to do after the Leaving Cert, and now I'm studying to eventually become the person sitting across from students helping them make those decisions.

One thing I remember very clearly from secondary school was how difficult it could be to actually get time with the guidance counsellor.

And I want to be clear about something before I say anything else. This isn't me having a go at guidance counsellors.

Far from it.

The guidance counsellors I had were genuinely brilliant and I know how much work they had on their plates. The problem wasn't the people. The problem was the system around them.

There just aren't enough tools.

When you're in 5th or 6th Year, you've got hundreds of students trying to figure out CAO courses, apprenticeships, PLCs, college options, points, subject requirements, careers and everything else.

And then you've got one guidance counsellor trying to support all of them.

It makes it incredibly difficult to have those proper one-to-one conversations with every student.

I remember wanting to ask questions about different courses and careers but finding it difficult to actually get a meeting. Sometimes you'd have to wait, sometimes you'd have a quick conversation in between everything else that was going on, and sometimes you'd just end up trying to figure it out yourself.

And that's where I think technology can actually make a massive difference.

Not by replacing guidance counsellors.

By giving them better tools.

That's why I'm genuinely delighted to see Course Compass being released.

I honestly wish something like this existed when I was in secondary school.

Imagine being able to sit down and complete an assessment that actually looks at your interests, personality, strengths, subjects and potential career paths, and then gives you a starting point for your own research.

It doesn't replace having a conversation with a guidance counsellor.

It makes that conversation better.

Instead of walking into a meeting saying, "I have absolutely no idea what I want to do," you could walk in with a clearer understanding of yourself and a list of courses or career areas you actually want to explore.

That gives the guidance counsellor something to work with.

And I think that's the direction we should be going in.

The role of a guidance counsellor is incredibly important. Students still need that human conversation. They need someone who can understand their circumstances, challenge their thinking, answer questions and sometimes just tell them that everything is going to be okay.

But they also need access to good technology and information.

We're living in a world where students can get information about almost anything instantly, yet when it comes to one of the biggest decisions they will make at 17 or 18, we're still asking them to navigate an incredibly complicated system largely on their own.

That needs to change.

And I'm also really happy to see other Irish education platforms getting involved in guidance content.

StudyClix, Examinaite and others have been putting out guidance related posts and resources, and I think that's a really positive thing.

The more accessible good-quality guidance becomes, the better.

It shouldn't be about one company or one platform.

It should be about making sure Irish students have as much support as possible when they're making these decisions.

As someone who is hoping to become a guidance counsellor myself, I actually think we're entering a really exciting time for the profession.

The guidance counsellor of the future shouldn't have to spend all their time trying to gather information, organise resources and answer the same basic questions over and over again.

They should have technology that helps them do that.

Then they can spend more time doing what they do best.

Actually talking to students.

Actually getting to know them.

Actually helping them figure out what they want from their future.

Looking back, I really wish I had something like Course Compass when I was in 5th or 6th Year.

Maybe it wouldn't have given me the exact answer.

But it would have given me somewhere to start.

And sometimes that's all a student needs.

A starting point.

A bit of direction.

And someone to tell them that they don't need to have their entire life figured out at 17.

I'm really happy that students now have more tools available to them, and I'm even happier knowing that I'll hopefully be on the other side of the desk one day, using those tools to help them.

Aaron Minogue — 3rd Year PE & Maths Teaching Student