Dylan Hayes – Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Business and ICT

Name: Dylan Hayes

From: Waterford

School: De La Salle College Waterford

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what led you to choosing your course?

3rd level final year student, I am Dylan Hayes a southeast Déise student who chose Business & ICT as I always wanted to pursue a career in the education sector and always have a love for Business and IT due to the fact of previous jobs throughout my 2^nd level education! The reason I chose this course overall was because Computer Science is now a registered subject for the Leaving Certificate course and it was a subject I wanted to be registered to teach.

What specifically about the course do you particularly enjoy?

I really enjoyed the overall dynamic between business & ICT, I feel the course gave a great taste between the modules in business/ICT but also the level of complexity throughout the duration of the course wasn’t unfeasible. I found overall it is a very fair course and if the work is put in it’s an undergrad you could do very very well in

What is the best thing about your course that you think new applicants should know?

 For me personally, I was delighted to have been giving a role in a school teaching the subjects after year 1 covering a sick leave. This was a massive achievement and I think every new student who wishes to study this course, there is ample opportunities out there, You may need to send emails make phone calls but for me it was 100% worth it. Creating a college, work, social life can be difficult at first but organization and time management is key! Don’t leave assignments etc. to the last minute as it causes undue stress that can be avoided.

International trip to Eindhoven to partake in the linear to circular economy simulator competition using one product and different elements to make it more sustainable etc. This was a great experience for all to team build work alongside other colleges and also enjoy the social life within Eindhoven.

What are your favourite modules on the course?

My favourite modules throughout this course were Business Finance, Web development, Management, Business Enterprise & Entrepreneurship, Microeconomics & Computer Ethics, The reasoning behind this is they were the most relevant modules suited to the subjects that I am mostly delivering in school and have a great love for them!

If you were speaking with a first year student about to start your course, what advice would you give them?

Enjoy college! Make the most of the social life, plan assignments don’t leave them to the last minute, Make the most of the events within the college, the. Trips within modules all these valuable experiences will enhance your learning and prepare you for the working world after college.

If you are involved in sport, volunteering, working or have other passions you pursue outside of your academic life, can you tell us about that.  Especially mention any Teams, Clubs or Awards.

As an event manager as a season role, I decided to go back into the community and hold an event for charity with some friends, We held an event called a Santa Runway Dash which was held on the airport runway in Waterford. This runway unfortunately is not in use as an airport at the moment and this was the initial phase of the PR around reopening the airport. We were shocked at the turn out and raised over €1600 in aid of Make a wish. We were so pleased with how the event went to then receiving a phone call to say we were being shortlisted for an award and an invitation to the awards ceremony. We came 1^st in our category and won an award for “Creativity & Entrepreneurship”.

What are your plans after ATU Sligo and any long-term goals you are aiming for?

I am going to be teaching for a year within the south east, deliver grinds online hope to get a bit of travelling in and in September 2025 begin my PME (Post Masters in Education) over a 2 year basis to hopefully become a permanent Secondary School Teacher within the fields of Business, Economics & Computer Science.

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