Making Informed choices
You don’t want to spend the rest of your life miserable because of the choices you make today because frankly speaking, the decision you make today the consequences of it being good or bad will come to live in future, it may be after five years or a year. Hence the saying “you reap what you sow”. No one wants to re-live the past.
“I have just matriculated and I want to further my studies but I am confused I don’t really know what to do” many of us reach this point in our lives and when this point comes we are so under pressure, leading to wrong decision making, choosing something because the other person is doing it or simply because you are not sure what to do really and that is the reason why most college students change their courses in their 2nd year.
When you choose a career you need to do a research, take it as buying a car, it is not as simple as going to a shop to buy bread but you have to know and be sure of what you want to become. Let me take you through something that might be useful when you make such decision.
- Interests
We are often told to choose careers based on our natural talents, this helps in a sense of choosing a career based on what you really like it should be something that complements your lifestyle. What you enjoy doing and what you find pleasure doing might help in identify what path you should consider. For instance you are a lady quite peaceful, outgoing, love cooking and cleaning and you are open to different opinions you may consider Hospitality because your character and lifestyle complements your work or you are a guy you enjoy so much music, you follow music trends or you even go to the depth of finding underground staff (music) you collect, you consider yourself fun and technical then you may consider sound engineering or sound technology and other related courses.
- Skills
Skills maybe personal (natural) or something you have acquired. What can you do? Your natural self might also contribute yet again coming to this point because some people are naturally out-spoken “people’s person”, people who are easy to get through in terms of communication as they are good listeners and good communicators, some skills may be what you have acquired from school for example presentation skills or personal computing or problem solving it is still essential in hospitality especially if you are going to have your own business or you are an analytical person, good in numbers you had mathematics and science at school still essential when are to go in Sound engineering.
- Satisfaction
Consider what is it you find pleasure in, does helping other people bring sense of inner peace to you? Do you find pleasure cooking or helping someone in any way? You must enjoy what you do, some people would also like or rather choose something based on its challenges, is there room for my creativity? These can also be considered.
Once you have identified and are satisfied with what you want to be then you start your…
- Research
There are 23 Universities, about 41 FET College and quite a number of registered private colleges in South Africa, so visit them as early as possible in the year to find out about the courses they offer and you will also be fortunate enough if you personally go as you will also be provided with a career advisor, choose a career course that complements you. In terms of fees there are affordable institutions, courses you may also consider applying for a bursary. So serve the net and search companies offering bursaries to matriculates.
When you choose a career overlook money because it will enslave you into something your heart and mind are far from.
DIKELEDI MAPHOROMA
