Business Studies

If you're still not sure where your career is going, then an excellent qualification to aim towards is one in Business Studies. The ultimate choice for those who can't commit, you get to sample an array of business topics, such as marketing, accounting, information technology, economics and foreign languages. As well as boosting your currency as a Phone a Friend, this will also help you find out where your talents lie. For example, you may discover that you were born to account but you might also find out that you can't sell an autographed jumpsuit to an Elvis fan.

The level of benefit that you will achieve from a course depends on its length, qualification and quality. You could choose a serious CV booster, such as an evening diploma or a degree course, which will give you a solid grounding in the practical, academic and personal skills needed for a career in a variety of business areas. By the end of your course, you should understand a range of business functions and be able to apply academic theories to a range of issues. As well as this, you will be equipped in management skills and have experience of applying them in practical situations. Should you want to take your study even further, then you will also be qualified to apply for a number of postgraduate courses.

It's not coincidental that DBS stands for Dublin Business School; or that the Ormonde Business School is so named; so have a look to see if you're interested in any of the variety of courses they offer.

Accountancy

If you long to roll around on a pile of money, but your bunch of fivers just isn't cutting it, then perhaps you should consider a career in Accountancy…

Most accountants become fully qualified by first gaining a qualification in accountancy or a related area, such as business or law. However, it is possible to start from scratch with a recognised foundation course from, which can be completed on a full or part time basis. All wannabe accountants, once they have the relevant 'starter' qualification, join one of the accountancy professional bodies, such as the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) or the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). The trainees must then gain work experience under a training contract with a recognised training firm, as well as attend courses and take a series of examinations organised by the professional body. Depending on your initial qualification and the area you studied, you will get certain exemptions from these exams.

Marketing

Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably. The famous "six Ps" formula explains marketing as the process that ensures that the best Products in appropriate Packaging are Positioned in the marketplace with good Promotion and are Priced to achieve maximum Profit.

Marketing is a very competitive field, and an exciting mix of creativity and glamour sets it at the "showbiz" end of the careers spectrum. The general areas it covers include advertising, product development, market research and analysis, pricing and sales support. Tools of the trade for marketeers were once limited to direct mail and telemarketing. Now new fields of electronic marketing are being spawned by the Internet, including e-mail marketing and its variants, permission marketing and viral marketing. The Communications and Management Institute (CMI) runs marketing nightcourses on a variety of levels.

Marketing executives with two years' experience are being paid €23,000 to €32,000 plus benefits. A marketing manager with four years' experience would be paid €38,000 to €57,000. An accounts manager with good product knowledge is likely to be paid anything from between €32,000 to €89,000, plus a car allowance.

Tourism

As a child, you persuaded your mates of the superiority of Clara Lara over Mosney. You smugly directed holidaying Americans to their nearest Burger King. You got people to come round your house by highlighting your mother's supply of Jammy Dodgers and that amusing trick your dad could do with his nose. In short, you were a Tourism Officer. So why not consider using your childhood talents to make your career? Portobello College and the Grafton College of Management Sciences have highlighted the interest in the industry by including tourism courses as part of their nightcourse syllabus.

A tourism officer essentially promotes a particular area - be it local, regional or national. The work involves devising and co-ordinating marketing campaigns, producing tourist information and setting up events and exhibitions. For all you luvvies out there, the job involves a fair amount of schmoozing and freebies - you may be required to attend the odd champagne reception or fancy dress ball. But with the jam comes the dead wasps. Ostensibly, your hours may be nine to five but tourism officers often find themselves promoting a carnival on a public holiday or getting up at four in the morning to check up on an event that they are organising.

There many routes into a career as a tourist officer but a qualification in tourism is probably the most direct. Other paths include marketing, languages and general arts degrees. However, a qualification is not the only requirement for tourism officers. Employers put a lot of value on previous work experience - for example as a tour guide or rep - and on personal skills.