“The first piece of advice I give anyone thinking about what course to study at university is that many job opportunities available today are very different from a decade ago,” she says.
“It’s also important to identify what your priorities are when looking for a job. Is salary key or would you be willing to trade off for more flexibility? What learning opportunities would you like to access? Would you like to travel or work from a certain location? “There are current students at the University of Limerick and other campuses around the country studying for careers that may not exist yet or will be radically different in 10 years’ time.
“The upward trajectory of tech and, in particular, the challenges around privacy and cyber security point to other rapid growth areas. Demographics point to an ageing population, with challenges around care and health. “For example, one of the most popular roles advertised on LinkedIn last year was for software engineers.
McCooey says the five fastest growing green jobs between 2016 and 2021 were sustainability managers, wind turbine technicians, solar consultants, ecologists, and environmental health and safety specialists. “Trends indicate demand for remote work will continue in office-based roles, which means that graduates may need to prepare to enter a new hybrid workforce, and must be ready to adapt to that style of working from the outset.”
“Employers are rethinking hiring and increasingly placing greater emphasis on a candidate’s skills and overall potential to ensure great talent is not overlooked. This is actually a really important consideration for very specialised areas. “Ultimately, a key takeaway for any student is that you do not stop your education journey when you graduate.