My name is Shauna Noonan. I am studying Social Care Work in the TUS Thurles campus and I am in first year.
I chose this course because I was previously working in a Montessori/Playschool setting with children with intellectual disabilities. Gaining this insight and experience of working with the children triggered my interest in progressing further to work within the area of disabilities and open more options for me.
When I began my studies, I was surprised by how small the class sizes were. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like the class being as small as it was, but I quickly adjusted to the idea of having such a tight-knit group and the benefits it would bring, such as the ease of communicating with each other, with lecturers and the accessibility to more one-on-one learning.
The thing I like most about my course are the modules that I am studying. I think that the modules in first year have created a good structure for the years to come. Although they are all different, there can be some cross over and linkage between each module which helps to understand theories and practices that bit more.
My course aside, I think the staff working at TUS are great. They have been very helpful in the transition into first year. The have been really approachable and helpful. This goes for all the staff across the board from the lecturers, receptionists to canteen staff.
Over the coming years I am looking forward to finishing the course and obtaining my degree. But I am also excited to go on work placement and put all the theories I’ve learnt to practice and see what area I would like to work in. When I started this course, I was focused on working with people with intellectual disabilities, but from gaining more knowledge about social care work and speaking with lecturers I have decided to keep my options open. I have thought about working within youth work, mental health services, continuing on to do a Masters in social work and also the idea of becoming a lecturer.