What is increasingly important is knowledge and skills in digital and technological vocations, and you can gain these skills from private training institutions
Every year thousands of school leavers apply to universities, hoping to further their studies and ultimately secure employment that will make them financially secure and successful in their chosen fields.
In South Africa, as in many other parts of the world, graduating with a university degree is seen as critically important for securing one’s future career prospects. It’s a widely held view that university graduates have better opportunities and usually earn higher salaries than those that don’t have a university qualification. Fields such as medicine, accounting, law and certain scientific fields require university degrees to enter these professions. But not all careers require academic qualifications.
A university degree is indeed a fine achievement, but it’s not inherently superior and not the only means to a good tertiary education. Today, a sense of prestige about a university qualification versus a vocational college is outdated. After all, the end goal of tertiary training is to provide one with gainful employment that can support your chosen lifestyle and provide a sense of fulfilment. Alternative professional certifications can be achieved through recognised bodies such as AWS, Nokia Bell Labs and others, which are great for upskilling youth and young working adults.
Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk either left college or dropped out of university before they could collect their degrees. Yes, they’re the exceptions, but their lives are a testament to the fact that one can still make it big without having a university degree.
The grass is not always greener on university campuses
Times have changed, and some experts argue that university qualifications aren’t what they used to be. Due to the evolving nature of the working world, there is perhaps not as much of a predictable career path for university graduates as in days gone by. While having a university degree may elevate your chances of employment for some fields of work, it’s no longer a guarantee.
There are other problems when applying to universities post-Covid. The Guardian reported that in England, the post-Covid cohort of school leavers faced new uncertainties as students have been competing for fewer places on sought-after university courses. Popular universities are making fewer offers, leading to disappointment for more candidates. The same is true for popular university courses that are oversubscribed at South African universities.
University fees can place students at significant disadvantages when they incur debt to fund their studies, thereby impacting their future financial prospects. On the other hand, apprentices who trained at private educational institutions or TVETs can enjoy starting salaries higher than the average salary of an arts degree student. The grass is not always greener for those attending university campuses.
Preparing workers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Living in the Information Age means a large portion of our lives are driven and assisted by cutting-edge technologies. Access to knowledge today is largely powered by the internet, which is not universally affordable (yet), but is generally accessible to most citizens. The opportunities that the internet and new technologies provide for income generation are not dependent on having a university degree. This is the opportunity of our age!
When young adults find themselves perplexed about their future career paths and unsure of their next steps, they should look to courses and subjects that relate to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, to the modern technologies that are shaping the future of work.
What is increasingly important is knowledge and skills in digital and technological vocations. Students can gain these skills from private training institutions such as Forge Academy & Labs, polytechnics or state-owned TVET colleges. Believe it or not, just because a student’s STEM subject marks fall short, it doesn’t mean they can’t become a great technician, 3D printing specialist, design technologist, digital marketer or one day run a business. What students need is the right training and apprenticeship.
I didn’t achieve university acceptance. Now what?
South Africa is in desperate need of skills across various industries and sectors. According to CareerJunction, the job sectors in South Africa hit hardest by skills shortages are the information technology and finance sectors, but the shortages are across the board, including in marketing, design, media & arts and business management. Many of these fields require skills that can be obtained from vocational and training institutions apart from universities.
Like Forge Academy & Labs, state-owned FET and TVET colleges look to close the skills gaps between what is needed by various industries and the current skill sets available. These courses look to provide students with valuable practical skills they can use to secure employment or start a business.
If you didn’t get accepted into university, then explore alternative opportunities. Remember that more important than getting a degree is doing work that your passion will sustain as you excel at it. Success comes in infinite forms — finding the right apprenticeship and institutions could be the first step to the life of your dreams.
— Craig Clutty is COO of Forge Academy & Labs