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Settling in at university and dealing with the transition from high school to university can be difficult for many students. It can be even harder to adjust when you can’t shake the feeling that the course, you’re studying is just not the one for you. So, you’ve finished an entire semester at university or the whole year and after careful considerations, you’ve fully convinced that this is not the qualification for you, what now? You’re feeling more confident about the course that’s suitable for you but how do you go about that changing courses?

There are so many things to think about when making this decision, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are a few things to consider when making this change:

The big Why? Why do you want to switch courses?

This question is really important as you have to interrogate yourself and have a solid answer before you can answer your student advisors, parents, friends, sponsors etc. People can have different reasons for this change. For e.g., in terms of longevity, you perhaps don’t see yourself in a certain field and industry as it doesn’t align with your passions. Perhaps your interests have dramatically changed and you’ve realized that you’re more into theatre and performance rather than finance or vice versa.

It could also be as simple as gaining more confidence in owning up to your decision and having that conversation. In other words, you’ve always known since high school what you wanted to study but you were too afraid of the reactions of those around you so you just went with the obvious choice, but now you’re fully ready to make a decision that is best for yourself.

Research the new course

It is important to do thorough research on the course you want to switch to because you want to avoid disappointments as much as possible. You could try attending some of the lectures of the new courses, asking questions to the students that are enrolled to gauge expectations. Google job listing websites and see what kind of career prospects are available and how much you could possibly earn.

Affordability

Switching your degree can set your graduation date back, sometimes by years, which can add more debt to your student loan. A move between faculties can also result in lost credits, a compromised scholarship and an increase in university fees. Before you make a decision, consider the financial setback this might have and whether you’re willing to go through with the decision regardless.

Secondly, if you have a bursary, you might need to confirm whether they can cover this change. For instance, if you’re with a bursary that solely covers Commerce/Accounting courses – it’s highly unlikely to cover your tuition if you want to switch to Health Sciences.

Visit the student/faculty office

Each institution will operate differently and have its own process. But generally, the best start is to approach your faculty and they can provide guidance on who you need to speak to, what department to approach, where to get forms to fill in etc.

Entry requirements and credit transfers

Do you meet the entry requirements of the course? Irrespective of the fact that you might have been accepted in your previous qualification, entry requirements may differ which is why you need to check. You may need a higher APS (Admission Point Score). Secondly, depending on the course you want to change to, you may be able to transfer credits for some of the courses you’ve done. But if the course you want to enroll in is extremely different, this might be a challenge.

Paperwork – Fill the relevant forms to officiate the switch

You will have to fill in a form that will ask you which course you’d like to switch to and why. Once again depending on the process of your institution, these will be available at the relevant faculty office. It can take a couple of days to weeks to finalize everything. Consult your academic advisor or student support office if you’re unsure where to get the form.

Please note that there isn’t a single formula for everybody who wishes to change their course – the outcomes will vary and is dependent on the respective institution involved and your academic performance. The above are only a few guidelines and some may not be necessary for all.

The most important takeaway is that changing your course isn’t an impossible task and doesn’t have to be daunting. As long as you’re confident that the change you want to make is right for you and your future.

With the global economy having off-loaded countless jobs in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, the hunt for work opportunities has more than intensified.

And in a fiercely competitive job market, misrepresenting a few details on your CV, during an interview, or even on your social media profiles might be tempting. Especially when you feel as though you don’t adequately measure up to competing applicants.

There is something else to think about. The new National Qualifications Framework Amendment Act 2019, signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa, means that prospective students and job applicants might be prosecuted, given up to five years in jail for misrepresenting their credentials.

It’s an illegal offense for any person to falsely claim to hold a qualification that’s registered on the NQF database or awarded by an accredited institution. This means even if you only publish the information online (and not on any transmitted documents), it’s still measured as an offense.

If sentenced in a court of law, the offender might get a fine or imprisonment of up to five years, or both, depending on the type of case being litigated.

And since we live in the digital-led/information overload age, it’s doubly important to learn how to share and effectively manage the information you share about yourself.

You can read up on The Right to Privacy in the Digital Age, and Defamation and Social Media.

Now, let’s take a look into personal branding, to help you think about how to cultivate, tell and live an authentic story as you shape your career.

Personal Branding

Your personal brand, in a nutshell, is the way in which you position and promote yourself and your work. It’s the essence of the person you are, all of your history, education attained, your skills and their commercial value, your worldview, and what direction you want to take your career.

It’s also a narrative that speaks about how you dress, how you move, speak, your personality traits/quirks, and your ability to build healthy/enduring relationships with other people.

To begin constructing your personal brand narrative, you need to…

• Identify your unique characteristics that carry commercial value.
• Learn how they connect with your work and then intentionally build a reputation around those qualities.
• Continue learning and refining what sets you apart from other professionals.
• Once you’ve fairly figured it out, develop a working system that works for you on order to replicate efficient and consistent results.

In many instances, people find it difficult to evaluate and effectively pitch the value of their skills.

To mitigate that, take a bit of time and think about these three things…

1. What is your personal story?
2. What is the one thing you want another person to remember about you after a meeting with you?
3. What noticeable value do you want other people to take away from spending time with you?

Ultimately, the goal is to create a strong intersection of skills that convey a specific message about you.

Play the long game

As you begin to sell your skills and knowledge, ask yourself tough questions about your intentions. Sure, you apply for work opportunities mainly because there’s money to be made. But it’s also important to think about long-term career goals.

For example, imagine this scenario: What type of projects do you see yourself working on in the next ten to fifteen years?

And while you think about that: Does working at that level of your industry naturally come with strict protocols and background/reputational checks?

The point is that it’s relatively easy to make compromising professional decisions in the current moment. And those decisions might eventually box you in and jeopardize the availability of future work.

The nature of professional dishonesty

Lying can range from excluding key facts, timelines, all the way to blatant fraud.

The most typical cases of professional dishonesty generally revolve around the following five:

1. Academic qualifications: misrepresenting these by claiming ownership of a degree you have never achieved, or falsely claiming higher grades.
2. Dishonest reasons for leaving previous jobs. Example: hiding that you were fired from a previous job and the accompanying reasons.
3. The exaggeration of previous salaries or level of responsibility.
4. Providing bogus references and points of contact.
5. Falsely upselling previous work experiences, skill sets, age, etc.

And aside from the references that you provide, recruiters have the option to write to your current and previous employers. They might even contact your high school, college or university, with a request to confirm your employment or educational qualification(s).

Potential employers may also hire specialist security businesses to perform background checks on your story and documents before processing any agreement with you.

Ultimately, you need to always keep in mind two things…

1. There is a difference between presenting yourself in the best possible way and deliberate misrepresentation.
2. Building a career is a long-term job. (Even if you change career at some point, the name and reputation remain.)

In a modern world where alternative ways of gaining knowledge and skills have become highly accessible – traditional higher education sometimes proves to be archaic. There are cases where universities and colleges are failing to keep up with contemporary ways of acquiring knowledge. Let’s face it; the formalistic idea that success is only attainable by knowing what you want to do for the rest of your life at 18-years, applying for a degree or diploma, and then easily entering the job market through that qualification is quite outdated. Not only does higher education not guarantee success or in some cases even a job, but it is also extremely expensive and can prove to be unattainable for most people.

Financial constraints continue to be a barrier to attaining education. Getting into university or college can be arduous – not only does one need to complete long and sometimes costly application forms, but requirements for matric certificates and other formal documents also exclude the majority of people. Luckily, we are living in self-sufficient times where people have found ways to bypass the financially limiting nature of higher education. One way of doing this is by picking up skills that are forward-facing through Google certifications.

Google Certifications

Google offers various online courses for people to expand their knowledge in high-growth fields. The Training Certificates come with many benefits such as learning at your own pace, gaining skills that are in demand and standing out to potential employers. Additionally, the Certificates require no prior experience. After completing the flexible online training, one gains a Google Professional Certification which could prove to be a very empowering resource.

Below is a list of five free Google Certifications available to anyone who would like to pick up skills. These courses could help with starting and maintaining a business as well as foster development in a desired career. The programmes do not require relevant experience in the industry, are 100% remote learning, and will need under 10 hours of study a week. The full Certificate programmes include quizzes, projects, and assignments.

IT SUPPORT

The IT Certificate enables one to learn the fundamentals of troubleshooting, networking, operating systems, system administration and security.

Jobs that are in demand in IT that you could qualify for after completing the course include database administrator, help desk technician, IT support specialist, systems analyst, network engineer, and IT assistant. According to Business Tech, IT skills are amongst the most sought-after skills in South Africa. This is not surprising considering that most of the world, especially due to the pandemic, relies on technology to run efficiently.

DATA ANALYTICS

Through this programme, you will learn how to develop coveted data analytics skills using spreadsheets and programming languages such as SQL, data management tools such as Tableau Software and statistical computing and graphics software environments such as R.

Data analysts may work as junior data analysts, associate data analysts, marketing analysts, business performance analysts, junior data scientists, finance analysts, operations analysts, and healthcare analysts. In the wake of the demand for data skills, according to Business Intelligence, the South African government is committed to training one million young people in data science by 2030. Beat the queue and start your own training today!

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Discover what it takes to build a successful career in project management and learn about common project management approaches through this training. You will learn about estimating time and budgets, identifying and managing risks and running effective meetings and managing stakeholders. With no relevant experience required, this online programme provides you with skills needed for an entry-level job in project management.

UX DESIGN

This User Experience design course offers knowledge in developing personas and user stories, conducting usability studies, creating wireframes and prototypes and building professional portfolios.

With this Certification, one qualifies for coveted jobs such as project designer, interaction designer, visual designer and user experience designer. UX designers design projects and tools that make technology more user-friendly and accessible.

ANDROID DEVELOPMENT

A Certification in android development helps you fast-track your career in mobile app development. Almost everyone consumes media through their smartphones and mobile apps and android developers reach people through apps and connected devices. This online programme covers the essential steps of developing, testing, and debugging Android apps in Kotlin (a programming language). If you are considering a job as a developer, this programme is suitable for you.

Conclusion

The era of democratized knowledge is here – we are bidding farewell to the requirement that one must follow a traditional path of gaining knowledge in order to succeed. Take the opportunity to upskill yourself from the comfort of your couch today, all you need is a laptop and an appetite for learning!