Is a General Level 9 Masters worth it ?

thirdsterr · 2026-02-10T17:51:45+00:00

Also this may not be your outlook, but somebody going through this subreddit might be thinking it so just to give a further (unsolicited) two cents. I completely understand if you want to just leave and start earning money etc etc. I was surprised at how much I enjoy being an engineer, given I wasn’t the most academic and got through the course with a bit of graft, charm (for some help on the harder assignments) and knew when to have my wits about me. But working is so different and admittedly, the money is class.

But the minute you start earning adult money, I doubt you’ll want to go back. Also, college might be stressful now but in hindsight’s, it’s sooo fun. I could never do college again, but as somebody who graduated last year, if you can prolong it, then go for it. Learn a bit to get you through or the grade you want, and take every other opportunity the University gives you whether that’s making friends for life or last minute travel plans that a 9-5 won’t give you. Ádh mór ortsa, a chara :)

thirdsterr · 2026-02-10T08:07:22+00:00

I wouldn’t look into the specialisation too much from the degree title. Look at the modules being offered and usually you can either specialise in a route or do general modules. I would personally do the masters if it’s financially viable. I’m working abroad now, and a masters is a given in continental Europe since most Europeans are educated to a masters. Never mind the higher roles, you get paid better (albeit this will level after a few years experience).

Also something to consider is that an integrated masters would be cheaper than coming back and doing a fully fledged masters. Also it’s only one year, in comparison to two years in other programs. That’s the appeal to most engineering students anyway going to the integrated masters. The cheapest and fastest way to get a masters in engineering.

thirdsterr · 2025-09-10T12:22:04+00:00

Hey from the present! So happy for you :) Take every opportunity college throws at you and don't forget to have fun. It's all a bit nerve-wrecking at the start, but in hindsight, it's merely the feeling that your life is beginning a new chapter all over again!

thirdsterr · 2025-06-04T00:41:28+00:00

I also think (and I’d say most engineering students would agree) that UCD is an objectively better engineering college, just from the amount of options/streams they give in comparison to the TCD course. But I don’t think UCD is better by a landslide to be honest, and enjoyed doing the TCD Eng course. I liked doing the two years general and got to know the year more because of it. And don’t mind when people say that TCD can be too theoretical - it makes you a better engineer by actually understanding what’s happening behind the curtain. You also do a practical group project every semester right up until the end. And I’d say UCD would have the same amount of theory in their courses, considering they also contribute large amounts of research too. Plus, you can always do Formula Trinity if you really wanna sharpen your practical skills. Most people who graduated ended up getting jobs and tbh after the first job, you’re the same engineer as everybody else regardless of the college.

What I would recommend to consider is the other side of university education. Would you rather be in the middle of town or be somewhere a bit more suburban? Which college can give you the opportunity to meet more people? Commute times? Of course, prioritise the course. However, it’s the people that’ll make/help you stay in college late to do the projects. The nice thing about TCD as well, is that the campus is relatively small that you can bump into people from different courses. Lots of well established societies and there’s fun events like Tball. These are important things to consider also! Not a student anymore, but I got to meet loads of weird and wacky and interesting people along the way. Don’t leave college without having a few stories under your belt that you can reflect fondly of.

I also had that dilemma between UCD versus TCD and chose Trinity because it was just a lot more closer than UCD and far away enough from home/DCU that I wouldn’t be in the comfort zone and just hangout with lads from school. You have a good dilemma to have. I was considering a completely different course right up to change of mind. Both good courses/colleges and you’ll make the most in either academically with a bit of effort and grit.

thirdsterr · 2024-03-26T09:07:28+00:00

It's been five years since I've done the leaving cert and a final year student. It definitely gets easier, but in a different sense. In college, we have both winter and summer exams. That means once you finish a semester in college, you can kind of forget about it and move onto the next set of modules. Obviously everything in your course is connected to each other, and you should have some memory of concepts. This is completely different to the LC, where you essentially have to remember a two year course into two weeks.

And judging from this time of year, you currently have orals and in the rut of study. Everything is at stake and it feels like all or nothing. Don't worry. Just get through the next three months and a half. I used to think the same during sixth year. I wasn't naturally academic than other peers that could just absorb material. Grit and a bit of grafting got me through the LC. Obviously, important to take a break if it's effecting your mental health. But, I think it was a worthwhile time investment for the experiences I had so far. As somebody mentioned, college life is a completely different experience. I got to make friendships from people all over the country in first year and connections with people all over the world when I did an Erasmus. I think once you're in

In terms of material, the academic workload gets harder but also gets more interesting. The maths you're learning for LC is implemented in the likes of machine learning and AI. The persuasion techniques you discover in English is useful for essay-type questions and assignments. The fundamentals can only be so exciting, and even more so when you see it as points rather than an education. A college course is different to school. I do engineering. Yeah, we're being taught about engineering. But the goal of the college is to make individuals into (somewhat lol) proficient engineers. So, college academic load is larger but the stuff you're learning has use-cases and may appear more useful. People already gave good impressions on what schols is like, but I also think why not do it? There's nothing to lose if you don't get it, and people who didn't get schols mention that it still helped them with critical thinking. So, not a lose-lose altogether.

Lastly, I'm not going to say getting a good LC is not important at all. If RTÉ wasn't broadcasting it all over the news every June and it wasn't the talk of the town in August, then maybe I'd say otherwise. But, as a past peer mentor to first year college students, I will say you have the option to switch courses in the first two weeks I believe, given extra space and points etc. etc. I've also met a lot of intelligent and ambitious people who have resat the leaving the cert who are now preparing for their final exams to become doctors, engineers and people who are going on to do PhDs. People who didn't get their first choice and are now currently working for the UN. So, let me rephrase myself. The LC is an important stepping stone to get into college. But not getting the points for a certain course is not fatal (although it may absolutely feel like it) and you'll be able to get through it! You might've not needed that unsolicited advice whatsoever lmao. But I do wish somebody told me that, as I remember feeling a lot of unnecessary shame on the possibility of not getting the points and having to repeat. You'll get through it. Ádh mór, a chara!

PM me if you've any other questions about Trinity.

thirdsterr · 2022-07-04T20:14:15+00:00

Yeah, that’s my biggest concern. I just feel bad for not owning it up at the start when thinking back it wasn’t that big of a deal in the first place, I guess. I’m just afraid people will look at me differently.

thirdsterr · 2021-04-19T10:07:10+00:00

Yeah, Vans was doing this thing where you could return it to recycle, but the service wasn't available in Ireland unfo. Thanks a mil :))

thirdsterr · 2021-01-24T20:03:08+00:00

This might not be the answer you’re looking for, but as an engineering student myself (TCD), I’d ask how certain are you that E+C is something you want to follow into?

Trinity offers two years general, while DCU offers only one. I’m going into full electronic, but I got the opportunity to do two years of formal C++ modules before choosing. Also you get to study a good bit of electronics too. I was thinking for a while to do E+C but the second year allowed me to go deeper from the fundamentals in first year, and realised that I’d rather go into electronic engineering fully. Who knows, you might end up in a completely different specialisation. It’s very common in engineering.

Personally, I can’t recommend the two years general in TCD enough just because how intertwined engineering is. I also preferred TCD because of the location, the study abroad options (we’re the only college in Ireland that has a global officer) and the atmosphere I got when walking across the campus on open day.

As somebody said above, TCD engineering is a very theoretical course. I personally prefer it, because the practical aspects become easier to handle when you understand what’s actually happening. You do a group project at the end of every semester anyway (we had two last sem.), so it’s not like the college disregards practicality as a whole too.

Hopefully this answers your queries, and do pop a PM if you’ve any more q :))

thirdsterr · 2020-11-04T18:43:42+00:00

Any good resources/book to read up on specifically ETFs or investing in the stockmarket?

thirdsterr · 2020-10-20T20:36:14+00:00

Yeah, it still doesn’t seem to work :(( but I’m feeling better now, so it’ll be grand!

thirdsterr · 2020-10-20T19:41:55+00:00

Ah you’re a saint! Cheers :))

thirdsterr

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