Diary of a Gen Z Student: It may be hard to see it now, but the Leaving Cert isn't that important

They were the most difficult exams I had ever done. And we place so much weight on the Leaving Cert that it’s hard to believe that life will continue, after you hand up that last exam script. The exams are all-consuming.

Fast forward two years, and when I was recently asked what grade I got in Leaving Cert Irish, I hesitated. Because I genuinely wasn’t sure about the answer. It’s not important to me now. It seems like Armageddon while you’re in it, but that’s not the case.

This time two years ago, I was terrified about what I would study in college. I was terrified that I wouldn’t get into my first-choice course on the CAO.

I was terrified that I’d open up English paper two, and forget the name of the novel I had studied.

While I can’t go back and give 18-year-old Jane the perspective I’ve gained since experiencing life after the Leaving Cert, maybe I can share some of that with 2024’s Leaving Cert students.

The stress, the fear, the trepidation: It’s all normal. And you’ll come out the other side. But in the meantime, it might ease the nerves to hear the advice of an old-timer such as myself.

Throughout sixth year, I always dreaded being asked what I wanted to study in college. I wanted to give people the ‘right’ answer. Really, I wanted to study English, but I thought that it didn’t sound academic enough.

I thought the right answer was medicine, or engineering, or computer science. So, for a long time I told people that I wanted to study STEM.

I was very close to putting engineering first on my CAO. I didn’t want to disappoint people with my humanities degree.

But I’m so glad I didn’t give in to that feeling, because I wouldn’t be writing this column right now, if I’d been too scared to admit to people that I wanted to be a writer. It’s so easy to feel like certain degrees are superior.

But that’s just noise.

Don’t let that dictate your decision-making. Be brave.

In reality, nothing that happens over the next few weeks has to dictate the rest of your life. Things don’t always go to plan.

You might not get the grades you’re yearning for. You can always try again. Or find a side door into whatever career you’re after. Or you might decide you don’t like the degree you’ve chosen. So what? Take the opportunity to pivot. It’s more common than you may think, to pick the wrong degree the first time around.

You’ll figure it out. And the world won’t stop turning if you find yourself navigating your plan B. That’s actually really exciting, if you think about it. You’ve got so many options, so many opportunities, at your feet. Try to frame that as a positive thing. Because it is.

Mostly, I’d like to tell 18-year-old Jane that there’s so much to look forward to, after the exams. You’ve got a meandering summer waiting for you. You’ve got that college bar and nights out.

You’ve got so many new friends to make and interesting people to meet. I’ll be the first to admit that I hated secondary school. It’s so rigid and regimented. You feel like an overgrown child, every time a teacher shouts at someone for not doing the homework.

That’s all changing.

In a few months, your life will look totally different. You’ll be finding the independence you’re craving. You’ll be figuring out the world, outside of the confines of your secondary school.

You’ll have more room to figure out who you are. Carve out a you-shaped space in the world. It may seem a bit daunting. You’re moving into a tumultuous period; its unpredictable.

It’s also full of exuberance and fun. The Leaving Cert may feel like the end of the world.

Really, it’s the start of your life, as a young adult.