UJ Soweto Campus hosts career day for matriculants

Teaser: Career day ensures learners don’t lose momentum because they don’t know what to do.

Hashtag Guide Me together with the University of Johannesburg hosted a career day fair for the class of 2023 at the Soweto Campus last week.

The purpose of the career fair was to assist township learners make good career choices and give them an opportunity to meet and network with their future employers.

It also gave matriculants insights on university and college requirements so they stand a great chance of being admitted for their programmes of choice.

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Light Gqabhu, founder and CEO of #GuideMe said, “When I was exposed to a career day at my former high school, Jabulani Technical School, that was when I understood that even though I wanted to do electrical engineering, I am a lawyer at heart, I like to represent people and see justice take place.”

Career fair eliminate the confusion and distress that learners get when they need to choose a career path that they will love and excel in. It is due to lack of access to information that some learners end up studying medicine because they were good in science but their calling is in maybe entrepreneurship.

“Coming here today has shed a lot of light in terms of what I want to do after matric.

“Today I was assured that it is okay to be confused but I should always aim for the price and I should have a passion for what I want to do and hard work does pay off,” said one of the learners, Laurence Mlelemba.

According to Lonah Mbhalati, UJ Senior Lecture at the Department of Commercial Accounting, a career choice will determine the student’s future by providing them with their dream job.

“If we give learners access to people who are in industries, they become more aware just by seeing the theory part of their career and they get to understand what the profession is really about,” she said.

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“Our ideal situation would be giving every learner access to someone who is in that profession they want to study for exposure and enlightenment.”

#GuideMe is an initiative that aims to give the academically disadvantaged a competitive learning advantage through inclusive and innovative ways of teaching and learning.They are currently working with learners from Emshukantambo and Musi High School.

“We offer tutoring and mentorship. We are trying to give the child from disadvantaged background support and guidance on their studies. We have one on one sessions that walks the journey with the learner,” said Gqabhu.

Choosing a career path is not determined by which subjects you are good at but it is about discovering what you are called to do as an individual. Passion and love should be the drivers that help you choose what you will do for the rest of your life.

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Gqabhu concluded with an advice for the class of 2023, “Find what is it that you truly love to do. When you wake up in the morning what is it that one thing you won’t mind doing every day. That is your passion and calling.”