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Recent NewsDIY Tertiary Education08 May 2009Johan Wasserfall, CEO of Eduloan, South Africa's dedicated education finance provider, advises: "Education is not a luxury, it's a necessity. It's only by gaining solid, recognizable and sustainable skills that you can hope to ride this choppy economic wave and come through the other side not only alive, but prosperous. The thing is though, that no-one is going to hand you your education on a gilded platter - you've got be proactive. It's time to get up, get out there, keep your dreams ahead of you and find a way to realise them by educating yourself - it's time for DIY education!" Here are some tips from Johan and the team at Eduloan to help you take the ‘bull by the horns' and follow your educational dreams to a brighter future: • Finance facts: you - and only you - are the one responsible for your education. In tough times, it's no longer viable to sit and wait for your mom, dad, auntie or boss to sponsor your education, so go out there and get funding! When approaching banks or other finance providers, remember that the regulations of National Credit Act (NCA) are not going to make it easy for you. The best bet is to approach a company that focuses solely on education, such as Eduloan (www.eduloan.co.za), as they know all the intricacies involved in funding education and keep strictly in line with the NCA's requirements, thereby ensuring responsible financing. Their loan will also take into account the often overlooked ‘hidden' costs of education, such as textbooks, study aids, food, accommodation, transport and entertainment, and they pay your loan directly over to the educational institution each month for you. The biggest benefit of all is that, as you pay your loan back monthly, by the time you have finished studying you will have no debt - or substantially less debt - to pay back, so your cash can go straight into building your exciting new life! And if you apply for and obtain a bursary, Eduloan offers the Edu-Xtras debit card, which makes managing and allocating your bursary funds (for living expenses, books, accommodation, etc.) easy and convenient, while ensuring you don't overspend. • Career focus: decide what you would like to study. Start with the career you've always dreamed of and then look at it with a realistic eye. Research as much as you can about the career - start by doing the career questionnaire on www.careers.co.za - and, if possible, speak to professionals in the field of your choice, even consider volunteering part-time in a relevant organisation, to get some real insight into what goes on in that career. Narrow your choices down to your top three, and see how these dovetail with the skills most needed in the SA economy. • Skills in demand: SA is experiencing massive skills-gaps in certain industries, which desperately need to be filled by properly qualified people. Obviously if you are skilled in one of these areas you have a better chance of long-term, sustainable employment. According to the 2008 Talent Shortage Survey conducted by Manpower Inc., SA's top skills shortages are: skilled manual trades (especially electricians, carpenters/joiners and welders); engineers; accounting and finance staff; technicians; management/executives; teachers; drivers; sales representatives; IT staff and secretaries (including PA's, administrative assistants and office support staff). • Where to study: while full-time varsity studies may be the ultimate, sometimes you have to bend your dreams a bit to make them happen. Most institutions offer options for those working and studying at the same time, consider: University or University of Technology (Technikon) - see ‘University Profiles' under www.studysa.co.za; Private College - e.g. Damelin (www.damelin.co.za), Intec (www.intec.edu.za); Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges (Technical College) www.colleges.co.za; distance colleges - Damelin and Intec; distance university - UNISA (www.unisa.ac.za). • Be inspired: always remember that, when it comes to education, ‘if you can dream it, you can do it!' Here is an example of someone who made her dreams a reality: *Gladys, a widow and mother of four, is a teacher at a high school, and had dreams of moving even further up the career ladder. Although many people would have thought it impossible to further their education whilst working full-time, single-handedly running a household and supporting five people, Gladys was up to the challenge. She decided to study a BComm degree through UNISA and, as she couldn't afford to finance her studies on what she was earning, she landed up taking multiple loans from Eduloan. She took one day at a time, worked hard at her studies and slowly paid back her loans, month by month. It took her six years to complete her degree, but today she stands proudly with many more career opportunities at her feet and she has inspired her children to reach for their own educational dreams. Johan concludes: "In a time when systems are crashing and structures are crumbling, we need to look inward. We need to invest in ourselves in order to unlock our potential and so contribute to changing those systems, and our country, for the better. Mandela, our most loved scholar, famously said: ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.' So my advice to students is to take those words to heart, and if you have a dream of an education, get up, get out there and DIY!" Eduloan is the only dedicated educational financial services company in South Africa, focusing on providing financial solutions to students with the goal of ensuring that tertiary education is accessible to all. Eduloan is firmly committed to contributing meaningfully to social and economic upliftment through education and is a responsible financial services provider with the interests of its students foremost in mind. For further information, contact Eduloan's Client Services Department on 0860-55-55-44. *not her real name References: www.manpower.com - http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/MAN/590163074x0x189693/9adcf817-96cf-4bb3-ac68-038e79d5facf/Talent%20Shortage%20Survey%20Results_2008_FINAL.pdf Editorial Contact:
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