JOHANNESBURG – The pressure to choose a career is all too real. Here’s the usual scenario: at age 15, we are expected to choose the ‘correct’ subjects at school, where these subjects will determine our entry into higher education. All of this without considering that it takes some people longer to find out where their interests and talents lie. It’s a daunting task but nobody is alone in this.

Deciding what career to pursue will determine what you study, and of course, what you earn. SA Study has outlined four tips to help inform your decision:

1. Take an aptitude test – This kind of test helps you understand your abilities to perform specific tasks and responses to different stimuli. They also have standardised scoring, as the results are compared and scored with others students.

2. Research – Knowledge beforehand of the career will help you understand its suitability for you or even open up and demystify other careers you hadn’t considered or knew existed, it will also tell you what jobs are in danger of extinction in South Africa. Keep in mind, access to online information is limited as #DataMustFall indicated, so attending career fairs and seminars in person is the best solution.

3. Weigh your financial options – This is the conditioning and the state of our country as the #FeesMustFall movement highlights, finances have severely disabled the reach for education. But be warned- stressing out about finances could lead to discouragement. However planning for financial aid and industry specific bursaries could be your rescue.

Categories: Careers News