Cory McGale from Omagh took the plunge, left his legal career and retrained in Plumbing and Heating at South West College. This switch afforded Cory the opportunity to transition into a fulfilling pathway that has offered a wide range of career opportunities.
As a qualified Law graduate, Cory had worked in an office for over two years but felt discontentment that his chosen career didn’t complement his interests or personality. After reassessing his options Cory decided to retrain in a trade.
Cory said: "Even though I had a promising career path ahead of me, I realised I was surviving, not thriving. So, a change in career was needed as this was no longer the path I wanted to continue down. After looking at every possible option, I discovered a wide range of suitable apprenticeship paths and local opportunities at South West College.
Seeking a more vocational path, I decided an earn while you learn plumbing career would be a better vocation for me to follow. So, I secured an apprenticeship with a local company and embarked on my Level 3 Plumbing and Heating studies at the South West College, Omagh campus."
Cory quickly applied himself to his studies and enjoyed the more hands-on role that trade apprenticeships offer. Cory dealt with real-life plumbing and heating solutions and gained the confidence and skill set to carry out all types of plumbing and heating installation and maintenance, alongside fault finding across different properties such as residential, commercial and construction.
The career changing two-year course opened the door to a new, exciting, and varied future for Cory. He says: "Within the plumbing and heating industry, you are working with your hands across a range of projects and no two days are the same, which gives you a great sense of accomplishment as you work towards a multitude of finished products each week, and it was this challenging yet rewarding career that I craved."
Cory's decision to re-engage with education allowed him to find job satisfaction and ignited a newfound passion. He said: "My time at South West College inspired me to pursue a part-time lecturer role within the College, which I am very happy to say I secured. I am delighted to take on this new role dedicated to helping others and hope to help future students succeed."
Cory encourages others who may be stuck in a career rut to avail of the many training and personal development courses available at the College. He says, "Returning to education and switching careers into a brand-new field was one of the most daunting experiences. However, in hindsight, South West College offered the best educational experience alongside incredible teaching, which made it a simple process which has turned out to be one of the best decision's I have ever made."
For further information and to apply visit: www.swc.ac.uk