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When you’re finishing school and trying to decide what to do with the rest of your life, you often get bombarded with options and information. This makes it difficult to keep track of what is best for you. This includes the types of higher education available. There are 26 public South African institutions (see the full list of USAf website) that can be split into three different groups:

• Traditional University (11): Traditional universities in South Africa generally offer more theoretical-based training.
•  University of Technology (9): Universities of technology in South Africa are sometimes called technikons and offer their students vocational-oriented programs.
• Comprehensive University (6): Comprehensive universities in South Africa are a combination of both types of training that technical and traditional universities offer.

Whichever one you choose, we are here to ensure that your decision is free from prejudice and replaced with facts. Like with many things in life, there are often misconceptions about universities of technologies and typically, traditional universities and universities of technology offer similar qualifications, ranging from Higher certificates,  right up to doctoral degrees.

The distinguishing factor is that universities of technology focus on technology, innovation and offer technological career-oriented educational programmes. They engage with the industry to produce innovative problem-solving research. Many of the programmes offered include work-integrated learning/practical training that requires students to complete a structured programme while working in an organization. In other words, you’re required to complete in-service training or an internship. The main difference with traditional universities is that they do not put the same emphasis on the practical aspects of their qualifications (i.e. although some university degrees are very practical intensive). Therefore, they are pretty big on theoretical training and academic research within specialized fields.

With the following statements, we challenge all the prejudices of universities of techologies:

1. Universities of Technology are less prestigious than Traditional Universities

This is false. There is indeed a form of elitist perception that society has been conditioned to believe about traditional universities as opposed to universities of technologies. Many universities and academics may choose to maintain this perception rather than dispel but it is up to you to base your choices on your chosen career path and not be influenced by prejudices. For instance, if you have chosen a more technical career like IT, you might want to study at a university of technology. This does not make your qualification “less prestigious”, if anything, it makes you practically prepared for the world of work.

2. The level of qualification at a Traditional University is better than at a University of Technology.

The qualifications are not “better”, they are just “different”. They are incomparable because although they are both institutions of higher learning, they’re aimed at serving different purposes. Typically, universities of technology offer national diplomas, which are NQF level 6.  This differs from bachelor’s degrees offered at traditional universities, which are NQF level 7. There are cases, however, where you study for an extra year in order to obtain a BTech degree, which is also NQF level 7. Please see the South African Qualifications Authority (i.e. SAQA) guide below which shows the NQF (i.e. National Qualifications Framework) Levels for the different levels of study.

3. The fees offered at the University of Technology are cheaper than Traditional Universities.

This is generally true. Please note that like any other university, the fees offered at the university of technology are expensive. However, in comparison to traditional universities, the fees are moderately cheaper.

4. Universities of technology are more technical-based.

Universities of technology prepare you to go into your chosen field as an expert technician or artisan. So they focus on becoming more technically qualified within your chosen field. The emphasis is on practical skills while traditional universities are more theoretical.

One of the most unrealistic aspects of capitalism is the idea that you should know what career path you want to commit to for the rest of your life by 18 years. Most of the time it is not the actual workload that causes matriculants the most stress – it is all the life-altering decisions that have to be made by them. There is a need to acknowledge that most 18-year-olds really do not know what they want to do for the rest of their lives and the expectation that they should is quite impractical.

The harsh reality is that, due to a lack of career advice and counsel, most people are still asking themselves what they would like to be “when they grow up” years after finishing high school. We would hate this to be you, so we have put together some career aptitude tests that offer some guidance for which career would be best suited to your personality, interests, and skills.

Career Aptitude Tests:

These tests are designed to guide you into which careers you should consider, based on your motivations, personality traits, interests, strengths, emotional intelligence, and skills. Career Aptitude Tests consider other factors to jobs such as which work environments you would thrive in. In order to generate the most accurate results for you, the tests require honesty and a certain level of self-awareness.

123test:

This aptitude test consists of fifteen pictures that display specific work activities. It requires you to choose the work activities best suited for you. The aim is to generate career suggestions based on the answers you give. Please visit www.123test.com/career-test/ for more information or to even take the test.

Career Values Test:

This test offers the user “cards” with statements about different aspects of work. It requires you to read and rank the cards into groups based on how important the statement in each card is to you and your ideal job.

Career Cluster Interest Survey:

Based on the activities you enjoy, Career Cluster generates groups of careers that might appeal the most to you. You are advised to stay true to yourself and not choose your answers based on which activities will make you the most money. Please visit www.careerwise.minnstate.edu/careers/clusterSurvey for more information or to take the test.

Holland Code Career Test:

This quiz uses the Holland Code scientific model to show you which jobs are compatible with your interests, talents, and aptitude. The test shows you activities and requires you to rate your interests in each activity shown. Please visit www.123test.com/holland-codes-career-tests/ for more information or to take the test.

Big Five Personality Test:

This Personality Test consists of fifty statements which you are required to rate based on how true they are about you. It takes about 3 – 8 minutes to complete and the aim is to identify which learning styles and work preferences might work best for you. Please visit www.bigfive-test.com/ for more information or to take the test.

iPQ Career Planner:

This app works like a career coach to help you identify your ideal career path. The app requires you to answer fifty-two assessment questions that check your strengths and weaknesses. This test is used by 90% of the world’s biggest companies.

School counsellors:

You do not always have to have all the answers – there are older, more qualified people who understand the job market better than you. If your school does not have school counsellors, you can seek some direction from one of your teachers or family members.

Conclusion:

Understanding yourself is a very significant part of planning your career. Aptitude tests encourage self-awareness and introspection, which might allow you to understand what exactly draws you to a certain career path.

Despite these tests, be open to change. As people we are constantly developing, and the truth is – what interests you today might be completely different from what might have interested you five years ago. A lot hinges on the career decisions you make or made as a teenager and because you know very little about yourself at that stage of your life, it is important to give yourself grace while making these difficult decisions.

Luckily these free aptitude tests might just be the guidance you need.

Following a tumultuous academic year in 2020, many institutions of higher learning continue to prepare for the beginning of the academic year. On Monday 1 March, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the COVID-19 restrictions have now been eased to Lockdown Alert Level 1 (from the adjusted Alert Level 3).

We are aware that with the many changes, this might cause some confusion and anxiety, particularly if you’re a first-year student that is new to the protocols of institutions of higher learning and who to look to for guidance.

In a media briefing on the 18^th of January, Minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande announced that all universities will be opening and that they face no restrictions. The only difference is that the opening dates might differ and the returning of students to campus might be staggered. Additionally, not all institutions will be doing contact learning.

Below are some key dates and information to note depending on your institution:

University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg

• The 2021 academic calendar commenced on 8 March 2021.
• Students will be allowed to register online from 5 January to 5 March, according to their relevant year of study, faculty and programme.
• Orientation took place from 1-5 March and no orientation programmes took place online.
• The majority of the academic programme continues to be online. You are advised not to come to campus unless you have an official invitation from your Faculty or residence.
• Visit their website at https://www.wits.ac.za

University of Johannesburg (UJ)

• Although 100% of students and staff can return to campuses and their workstations, all teaching and learning will continue to remain online for the duration of the first semester. 
• Only students enrolled for modules that require in-person contact provision, such as laboratory or clinical work, experiential learning, etc., will be done on campus in contact mode, and in some instances, assessments will be conducted on campus. 
• Registrations were extended for returning and senior students – first until 28 February 2021 and then again to Sunday, 7 March 2021.
• Visit their website at https://www.uj.ac.za/

University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)

• There will be no physical contact sessions until the second semester.
• First-semester classes will be conducted online.
• First-year students will be able to register from 23 February, until further notice.
• Visit their website at https://ukzn.ac.za/

Tshwane University of Technology (TUT)

• Will continue with remote-blended teaching and learning from 6 January 2021.
• University will be in touch with students for whom it is mandatory to complete their practical sessions, to make arrangements so please watch out for communications.
• Examination arrangements will be included in the 6 January 2021 communiqué.
• Registrations will commence after the 2020 March/April academic calendar.
• Visit their website at https://www.tut.ac.za/

University of Cape Town (UCT)

• Will commence with physically distanced learning in the first semester, from 15 March.
• Students will be returning to residences in groups from early January 2021.
• Please note that only students who have been invited to return to residences will be accepted.
• Undergraduate teaching and learning, as well as some postgraduate teaching, will be online.
• Visit their website at https://www.uct.ac.za/

University of Pretoria (UP)

• Online registration commenced on Monday, 4 January.
• Students will be returning in the second week of March. Classes will commence online from Monday, 15 March. However, any changes will be communicated to you via email, so please ensure your contact information is correct.
• The Academic Orientation Week programme for first-year students will be fully online.
• Visit their website at https://www.up.ac.za/

* Some of the updates are taken from The Citizen

After a difficult and inconceivable year, matric results came out on the 23^rd of February. The pass rate decreased by 5.1% from 81.3% in 2019 to 76.2% in 2020. Considering that learners had to adjust to remote learning during a pandemic, this number is not too alarming.

So what options are available to the student who did not do well?

Firstly, breath – you are still worthy of love and support despite this setback. And luckily, there are ways to recover from it.

Introspect

Ask yourself why your results look this way. Examine the reasons for the failure and how you can change that. It could be because of personal impediments that were beyond your control such, as lack of resources or personal hardships that you dealt with during the year. Consider reaching out to peers, friends, and family for additional support.

Or maybe the problem lies in the subjects you chose? If you have been noticeably struggling with a subject and you have no interest in it – maybe it is time to change it.

Whatever the reason for your results; you need to acknowledge it and consider how best to solve it.

June Supplementary Exams 2021

The Department of Education allows students the opportunity to rewrite the National Senior Certificate exams in June. This option extends to subjects that students may have failed and those that they would like to improve on, on the condition that these subjects are those they were registered for in November 2020. The closing date to register for the NSC June Supplementary exams is 31 March 2021. More information is found on the Department of Basic Education website.

Repeat Matric

Redoing matric means a better opportunity at starting over on a clean slate and optimizing your chances of obtaining the best results on your Matric certificate. If you have anxieties about returning to the same school, you have the option of attending private colleges like Abbotts College and Damelin. These colleges offer the opportunity of either completing your Matric by attending classes every day or through correspondence.  

To help you maximise on this opportunity – you may consider applying for the Second Chance Programme. The Programme offers support to students by providing study resources such as Mind the Gap study guides and past question papers, educational TV shows like SABC1’s Geleza Nathi, face to face tuition and internet support.

The programme does not have an age-limit and is available to you even if you finished Matric years ago.

Technical Vocation Education and Training (TVET)

Students who did not pass matric can also receive education and training towards specific employment opportunities through TVETs. The Training is administered by the Department of Higher Education and Training. TVET gives students the opportunity to receive a National Vocational Certificate on Levels 2, 3 and 4 – which are equivalent to grade 10, 11 and 12. 

Remember to make sure the TVET of your choice is registered!

Consider your strengths

A tough pill to swallow: school is not for everyone.

If you have continuously applied yourself to your schoolwork but still yield no better results – maybe it is time to reconsider your path. The idea that success can only be obtained through education is quite archaic. Consider maximizing on your passions and making a profit from them. It is never too early to have and to implement a business idea – and it sure doesn’t require a Matric certificate.

Conclusion

It is important to have an idea of what you want from your life. Once you have established what you would like to study or do after Matric, it becomes easier to navigate these alternative options. To choose one best suited for you – you must have an idea of the career path you would like to follow.

Lastly, breath, again. Everyone fails, we just fail differently – focus on your path.