"Sadly, an estimated 40% of people are extremely unhappy in their jobs," advises Johan Wasserfall, CEO of Eduloan, an educational financial services provider. "They land up plodding miserably through each day feeling bored and unfulfilled, but too scared to make a change after all they've invested in their career," he adds. Here are some tips from Eduloan to help you crack the correct career choice first time:
Identify your passions: anything that you really enjoy doing should be closely examined. Perhaps you love penning poetry; or prefer solving problems and riddles? Maybe exploring nature is your thing; or you relish cooking up a storm? The way an activity makes you feel is usually the key to unlocking a possible career path.
Assess your strengths: note which subjects you excelled in at school and which left you cold. Perhaps you hated accounting or business economics with a passion, but history and natural science really had you hooked? It stands to reason that whatever we are most interested in is what we will excel in, and usually without as much effort as trying to master something that doesn't move us at all.
Define your personality: have an honest inner examination and take note of your inherent personal characteristics. Are you reckless or cautious; anxious or calm; introvert or extrovert; frivolous or serious, and so on. A good idea is to also get the objective opinion of friends, family members and even ex-teachers - sometimes it's amazing what other people see in us that we can't.
Investigate options: what we hear about in a lecture-hall is not always what actually goes down ‘on the job', so get some ‘real-time' experience. If you are considering nursing, do volunteer work at a hospital; or if you would love to work with animals then volunteer at your local SPCA or an animal shelter. Aside from volunteering, look into part-time work, internships, ‘job-shadow' days and mentoring from those involved in your chosen profession.
Face finance facts: SA has a massive varsity dropout rate, with most students leaving due to insufficient funds. So if, for example, you fancy being a doctor but can't afford the hefty tuition fees, consider first training as a nurse and then, when working, studying part-time or after hours. Source funding from a company like Eduloan, which focuses exclusively on educational finance provision, and are well equipped to offer sound financial advice and many benefits.
For more information, please visit www.eduloan.co.za or call their Client Services Department on 0860-55-55-44.
"Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it." - Buddha
Editorial Contact:
Olivia Neves
Kezi Communications (Pty) Ltd
Tel: 011 616 1860
olivia@kezi.co.za
www.kezi.co.za
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