A happy return to the books

FOR Catherine Haverty, the decision to leave school after her Junior Cert was easy.

'I didn't find it very interesting,' said the 26-year-old from Swords, Co Dublin, whose footballer father Joe won seven caps with Ireland while playing with Arsenal and Shelbourne.

What a difference a decade makes - Catherine has progressed to her Leaving Certificate and has been 'really enjoying' her return to the classroom.

Catherine's departure from school came as the economic boom was taking off and she worked in several retail stores, with no difficulty getting a job.

Then she decided to seek further training, first in computers and then as a legal secretary, and work in a number of firms of solicitors followed.

But despite her view of school during her Junior Cert years, Catherine 'always wanted to do the Leaving Cert'.

First time around, Catherine said she felt 'school wasn't for me', and believes that she has got 'even more out of it than she would have had I stayed.'

Catherine said she was put off by the cost of returning to do the Leaving Cert in some private institutions, and it was at an open day arranged by the state training agency, FAS, that she learned about the course for mature students at Pearse College, Crumlin.

She will take five subjects (maths, English, history, business and art) in the Leaving Cert and is already planning her next move - a diploma in crime and forensic psychology at Dorset College, Dublin - and a further step on the road to her ambition for a career in law.

- Katherine Donnelly

Irish Independent