Each day, for three days in late September, up to 8,500 senior-cycle students and their guidance counsellors will converge on the RDS in Dublin.

The reason: they are trying to make up their minds about life after school. Will they become musicians, doctors, engineers, gardai, plumbers or computer scientists? The advice comes in the form of the Higher Options Conference, organised by The Irish Times and The Institute of Guidance Counsellors, on September 20th, 21st and 22nd.

Each year, there are more and more options open to school-leavers. With a booming economy it is possible to go directly into a job. In addition, the variety of college courses increases each year.

You can now opt to study courses as diverse as multimedia technology and software engineering, construction (interior architectural technology), business studies (electronic commerce systems), medicinal chemistry, and science with concurrent teacher education (physics and chemistry).

You may not even be sure what these courses entail. Now is the time to find out.

More than 250 colleges will set up stands, and staff will be on hand to answer those burning questions about courses, careers and, of course, college social life. Some stands bring along past or current students and these can be very helpful when it comes to giving a real-life take on life in college.

All of the universities, colleges, institutions and organisations will have brochures, leaflets, advice, information and contact names to give to interested students. Some of the stands will take a high-tech approach and bring along computers with databases of useful information.

Exhibitors will include colleges within the CAO system, colleges from Northern Ireland, Britain and Europe, as well as Post Leaving Certificate colleges, training bodies, companies, advisory and guidance organisations.

So, whether you're interested in getting a third-level qualification at certificate, diploma or degree level, or if you want to go into the further education or training sector, this is the conference for you.

This is the time to ask questions. If you're thinking of using a Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) course as a stepping stone to third-level, ask about the links scheme.

Find out if the course you are interested in has a link to a particular third-level course. If you want to do a PLC and then get a job, ask about employment rates for graduates of the course. Find out where they are employed and what they are working at.

If you're thinking of doing a certificate course in an institute of technology, you might like to find out about add-on diplomas or degrees. Ask the staff on the relevant stand.

If you think you'd like to be a garda, find out about educational and age requirements. Ask how to apply and when the next recruitment drive is likely to take place.

If you'd like to attend a course at a private third-level college, find out about fees and facilities. And if you're thinking of going to study in Britain or Northern Ireland, ask questions about fees, grants and accommodation. Are there other Irish students in the college?

If you think you'd like to work in the hotel and catering industry, find out hours of work and rewards. If you'd like to do an apprenticeship and are thinking of leaving school before you complete the Leaving Certificate ask staff at the FAS stand for their opinion.

In addition to perusing the various stands, students are invited to attend a series of career talks. The talks on the CAO system and the British equivalent, UCAS, should be of interest to most students and will dispel many of the myths which have grown up around college applications and offers.

There will also be talks on a variety of career areas including art and design, information technology, engineering, science, business, social services, the construction industry, hotel and tourism, communications and careers for those with arts degrees. These talks are usually lively and informative and students are invited to ask questions of the speaker.

This is the 14th year of the conference. It opens at 9 a.m. on Wednesday 20th. Don't miss it.