Leaving Cert Subjects
Kate Walsh, Beauty Therapist
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
French has always stood to me and I believe that business studies has given me a brief insight into the career I have chosen and how to run a business etc.
Patrick Kinnaird, Marine Biologist
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
I think it’s important to keep your options broad at school so you remain open to discovering different interests. At first, I didn’t particularly enjoy science, but after one lesson on fish, I realised I actually found it engaging because it connected with my hobbies. From there, my interests developed, from science to biology, then ecology, and eventually marine biology.
That said, I also learned that within any field there will be areas you enjoy more than others. For example, I find the chemistry side of marine biology more difficult to stay interested in, but I recognise its importance for understanding the bigger picture.
Looking back, I feel I chose my subjects well for my career path. The only subject I wish I had taken would be Photography. At the time, I didn’t realise how central it would become to my work, particularly in recording and analysing sightings. But hindsight is always clearer, and overall, I think my choices gave me a strong foundation for where I am now.
