THE RIGHT COURSE

It’s no secret that we are often a confused generation when it comes to things pertaining to our future. This is one of the reasons behind why so many students find themselves in tertiary qualifications they have no interest in.

From a young age, most people have at least a vague idea about what they aspire to be; but as we grow older we develop into different people and these ideas often change. Knowing what you want to do with your life, influences all the decisions you make after matric, in terms of what university you would like to attend and what qualification you would like to study towards.

At university, there are typically two types of student groups; the first being those who have a ‘thirst’ and drive for knowledge and enjoy learning new things.

“I would be at university for the next 20 years if I could, studying different courses,” says Sbu Sikani, a former Nelson Mandela University Law student, who is currently studying film.

“I want to change from Public Relations (PR) to Law because I feel as though PR is not intellectually challenging enough for me,” says Zenande Bidli.

It is quite clear that both these students have quite the academic appetite and feel they are ‘fluid’ enough to study any course they set their sights on.

The second group are students who are unhappy in their courses due to various reasons; ranging from family pressures, to being misinformed about their current field of study. Students often choose courses without being certain of what their qualification entails. This directly results in their unhappiness; and most of the time this is realised at a much later stage, when one is close to graduating.

Choosing the right course is probably one of the biggest decisions any teenager will ever have to make; and more often than not, they are not given the proper tools to make an informed decision, which later results in personal dissatisfaction.