While most matriculants are getting ready to head to university, college or into job hunting, some young people are still uncertain about the next step.
Dr Gillian Mooney, of the Independent Institute of Education, said it’s important that matriculants and their parents realise a matric or tertiary qualification don’t automatically guarantee employment.
According to the 2016 South Africa Survey’s second quarter results, a person’s chances of being absorbed into the workforce with a matric are about 49,8 percent, while a tertiary qualification raises the percentage to 75,5 percent.
“While this may be an unwelcome reality for those who thought they would obtain a qualification, fill in some job applications and walk into the career of their dreams before the year is out, the good news is that the situation is not hopeless and that there are many options in terms of next steps,” Mooney said.
Here are a few options to consider:
Volunteer work
Getting involved with charity organisations or projects will make a difference in your community, help you gain new skills and look great on your CV. Meeting new people and getting in touch with various organisations will also create new opportunities that may even result in a permanent job.
Freelance work
If you’re interested in a career but not sure if you’d like being stuck in a formal nine-to-five job, freelancing is a good option. Companies in fields relating to media (magazines, newspapers and websites), art, graphic design, marketing and IT often make use of freelancers. Besides giving you a glimpse into your chosen industry’s workings, it adds to your CV and helps you build your reputation until you decide to apply for a permanent position.
Start your own business
Do you have special skills and great business sense? Create your own job by starting a business. Make sure that you’ve done proper research and that your business is something that will do well in your area. There are various support structures and government programmes in place to help entrepreneurs. Events like craft markets are great to build your brand and give you the opportunity to see how people react to your product or service.
Do a short course or two
If you don’t want to spend several years studying to obtain a degree or diploma, doing a few short courses are a great way to increase your skill set. You can do volunteer work or freelance while doing speciality courses in your chosen field. This will make your CV stand out from the crowd.
Check out options overseas
Many young people go pick fruit in Europe, teach in South Korea or au pair in the USA for a year of two for both the experience and to earn money to pay for their studies. Some jobs overseas may even give you opportunities to study while you’re working. Besides learning about new cultures, these jobs often give you the opportunity to travel and learn new skills.
Take a gap year
Don’t rush into things and end up regretting your career choices. There are many gap year programmes in South Africa, that range from doing outreach and ministry work to building your character and helping you to decide what career you’d do great in.
