In South Africa, there are 4 main types of institutions where you can study after you leave school. Understanding the difference between these institutions can make choosing much easier.

Here are the results of the latest CJI report:

• Trending jobs for August include nursing/caregiving, IT project administration/management and business analysis.
• Top employment sectors include Medical & Health, IT,  Architecture & Engineering, Manufacturing & Assembly, Business & Management.

These are the three job types trending right now:

Nursing / Professional Caregiving

Average salary offerings for intermediate level position:

• GP R22,467 to R31,833 p.m.
• WC R24,628 to R35,432 p.m.
• KZN R26,933 to R31,204 p.m.

IT Project Administration / Management

Average salary offerings for an intermediate level position:

• GP R41,798 to R56,526 p.m.
• WC R49,804 to R62,549 p.m.
• KZN Not available.

Business Analysis

Average salary offerings for an intermediate level position:

• GP R37,326 to R47,660 p.m.
• WC R38,967 to R45,017 p.m.
• KZN Not available

Most in-demand skills

The CJI report reveals that the most sought-after skills are in software development, management and in sales representatives and consultants.

• Hiring activity for software developers increased by more than 20% since June 2019.
• There is a high demand for professionals with management skills, particularly in the financial sector. Currently, 40% of managerial vacancies are allocated to sales and financial managers.
• Sales representatives/ consultants remain in high demand within the South African job market.

The CJI Report is based on comprehensive data gathered from the CareerJunction website – where around 3,000 of the country’s top Recruiters (both agencies and corporate companies) advertise their positions to millions of registered job seekers.

Remember, there are 3 pass levels:

• Higher certificate
• Diploma
• Bachelors pass (previously known as an exemption).

Higher certificate pass requirements

• Must obtain at least 40% for your Home Language,
• Must obtain at least 40% for two other subjects,
• Must obtain at least 30% for four other subjects.
• Must past at least 6 out of 7 subjects.

Diploma pass requirements

• Must obtain at least 40% for your Home Language,
• Must obtain at least 40% for three other subjects excluding Life Orientation,
• Must obtain at least 30% for the Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) of the tertiary institution (Higher Education Institution),
• Must pass at least 6 out of 7 subjects.

This will qualify you to study for a diploma at a TVET college or University of Technology.

Bachelors Degree pass requirements

• Must obtain at least 40% for your Home Language (compulsory),
• Must obtain at least 50% for four other subjects excluding Life Orientation,
• Must obtain at least 30% for Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) of the tertiary (Higher Eduction) institution,
• Must obtain at least 30% for one other subject,
• Must pass at least 6 out of 7 subjects.

A Bachelor’s pass qualifies you to study towards a degree at a university, university of technology, TVET college or any accredited Higher Learning Institution.

Grade Level system explained:

• Level 7: 80–100% (Outstanding achievement)
• Level 6: 70–79% (Meritorious achievement)
• Level 5: 60–69% (Substantial achievement)
• Level 4: 50–59% (Moderate achievement)
• Level 3: 40–49% (Adequate achievement)
• Level 2: 30–39% (Elementary achievement)
• Level 1: 0–29% (Not achieved: Fail)

These subjects are compulsory.

• Home Language
• First Additional Language
• Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy
• Life Orientation
• Either English or Afrikaans as one of your languages

Sources: The Department of Basic Education

A career in applied mathematics is more than just crunching numbers. It’s being able to use mathematics to solve real-life problems and make an impact in the world. Here are some of the varied and fascinating problems mathematicians are paid large salaries to solve:

• How can an airline use smarter scheduling to reduce costs of aircraft parking and engine maintenance? Or smarter pricing to maximise profit?
• Is ethanol a viable solution for the world’s dependence on fossil fuels? Can biofuel production be optimised to combat negative implications on the world’s economy and environment?
• How do we use major advances in computing power to incorporate knowledge about interactions between the oceans, the atmosphere and living ecosystems into models used to predict long-term change?
• How can automotive and aircraft companies test performance, safety, and ergonomics, while at the same time lowering the cost of construction and testing prototypes?
• A pharmaceutical company wants to search a very large database of proteins to find one that is similar in shape or activity to one they have discovered. What’s the most efficient way to do so?
• How might disease spread in populated areas in the event of a bioterrorism incident, and how would it be contained?
• Can we measure sentiment change as a result of social media shares, likes and comments?
• How do you design a robotic hand to grip a coin and drop it in a slot?
• How can you mathematically model the spread of a forest fire depending on weather, ground cover and type of trees?
• How can genome sequencing analysis help in making clinical decisions based on a personalised medicine approach?
• Can we provide insight to coastal communities about future sea level rise and the risk and likelihood of effects of climate related events on their communities?

Here are some examples of organisations that hire mathematicians and computational scientists:

• Academic institutions and research institutes
• Aerospace and transportation equipment manufacturers or service providers
• Agricultural economics, engineering and management
• Analytics and forecasting organizations
• Chemical or pharmaceutical manufacturers
• Communications services providers
• Computer information and software firms; established or start-ups
• Consumer products companies
• Energy systems firms
• Electronics and computer manufacturers
• Engineering research organisations
• Financial service and investment management firms
• Government labs, research offices and agencies
• Insurance companies
• Medical device companies
• Producers of petroleum and petroleum products

With Maths, there’s an exciting world of opportunities out there. Who said Maths is boring?

Source: www.siam.org Edited from original article

Below are the subjects that you will be able to choose from. If you already have an idea of where, and what, you want to study, now is the time to get a prospectus from the institution. It will tell you which subjects (and marks) are required for admission into the different qualifications they offer.

NOTE: Science, Technology, Engineering & Medicine (STEM) generally require Pure Mathematics and Physical Science. Some Medical qualifications also require Life Science.

 You have to choose 7 Subjects

• 2 South African Languages
• One must be at Home language level and the other at First Additional language level
• One must be English
• Students with Immigrant status may take another subject instead of a 2nd South African Language

Mathematics: Creative, logical reasoning in the physical, social and mathematical world; descriptive, numerical, symbolic relationships; observing patterns; theories; abstract relationships; problem-solving

or

Mathematical Literacy: Role of Mathematics in the modern world; provide opportunities to solve real world problems using basic mathematical skills; develop mathematical life-skills; analyse real-life situations, creatively solving everyday problems

• Life Orientation
• 3 other Subjects from this list:
  • Accounting: Financial and managerial Accounting that includes: Ethics, Internal Controls, Accounting equation and the Accounting cycle ending in Financial statements.
  • Business Studies: Business Studies deals with internal operations of a business. It also looks at adding value to goods and services for the market which the business serves.
  • Computer Applications Technology: Microsoft Suite, databases, networking, hardware and many other applications; end-user computing.
  • Dramatic Arts: Study of plays, theatre history and acting methodologies.
  • Economics: Micro-economics (inputs and outputs; supply and demand), Macro-economics (labour unemployment etc) Growth and development and sustainability economics; History of economics.
  • Geography: Physical (climatology, geomorphology etc) and human (spatial patterns, demography etc.) environment and the interaction between the two; application of theory to the practice of mapwork.
  • History: Change and development in society over time and space; archaeology; oral history; evaluating how past human action impacts on the present and future.
  • Information Technology: Hardware and software theory; communication technologies; website, database and software development; programming.
  • Life Science: The study of life; changing natural and human environments; genetics.
  • Music: The art of organising sounds; musical expression; knowledge in South African, pan-African and global context
  • Physical Science: Physics curriculum: Kinematics (Motion in 1D), Newton’s Laws and Applications of Newton’s Laws, Momentum, Impulse, Work, Energy and Power, Gravitational and Electric Fields, Electric Circuits, Electrodynamics, Photons and Electrons.
    Chemistry curriculum: Quantitative Chemistry, Chemical Bonding, Energy Change & Rates of Reactions, Chemical Equilibrium, Acids and Bases, Electrochemistry, Organic Chemistry
    Note: This is a very demanding course that requires strong skills in Mathematics.
  • Visual Arts: The Visual Arts Practical component requires students to explore a wide range of practical disciplines including drawing. There is also an important Theory part to this subject.

EXTRA SUBJECTS

An extra 8th subject may be taken when students are in Grade 10 by arrangement with the school.

You may have heard your parents speaking about  “career paths”. In the past, people tended to follow quite a structured and logical career path. After school, you would possibly look at going to university and then finding a job. Your grandparents probably only worked for one or two companies during their entire lives – how things have changed!

Career Evolution is Natural:

It is quite normal nowadays for your career to evolve, change and develop over time. Studying a certain qualification doesn’t necessarily mean that you will end up working in that field. I studied Psychology at Rhodes and Enterprise Management at UCT and then went to work in the corporate world in Human Resources. After 3 years of that, I decided to start working for myself as a career development coach. The common thread though all of this is that my studies and work all involved working with people and helping them to develop their true potential. There wasn’t a logical, straightforward career path and yet I am doing something that I love, every day.

For example, if you start out studying law, that doesn’t mean that you have to become a lawyer. The skills that you learn in this degree would be valuable to a number of different companies, not only law firms. If you start out gaining work experience as a Personal Assistant, you could do part time courses to enhance your understanding of photography and start your own business. The opportunities are endless!

Focus is Important:

Even though career evolution is natural, and you cannot predict exactly where you want to go, it is important to eventually try to pick a focus eventually. This is not something that you need to be too concerned about at this stage and a career focus will emerge with time, as you discover what you are passionate about.

A Career Story:

When Amy Taylor was at school, she didn’t know what she wanted to do career-wise, but she did know that her public speaking skills weren’t great. She really didn’t enjoy standing up in front of a crowd and talking. She decided to do something about it and joined her school’s public speaking society. Naturally, the more she practiced, the better she became at it.

By the time she left school, Amy had found her passion and went on to study Environmental Science. One day, towards the end of her time at university, Amy was doing a presentation during one of the lectures. She didn’t realise that there were headhunters present in the lecture that day. She blew them away with her evident passion for the field, as well as her phenomenal public speaking skills. Amy left university earning twice what her classmates were earning and most importantly, absolutely loving her job.

The Moral of the Story:

Amy didn’t leave it to fate to determine her career. Even though she couldn’t predict a ‘career path’ when she was at school, she focused on developing the skills that she knew could be important to her in her career one day.

What you can do:

Develop your Skill Set
Understand the skills that employers value and make sure that you are focusing on developing them. It is really simple to do this! Get involved in extra-curricular activities at school or find a part-time job. This is likely to help you to develop interpersonal (people), leadership, communication and problem-solving skills, to name a few. You never know when these will come in handy.

Be Proactive
Get involved in researching careers in any way that you can. Job shadow, visit universities, speak to different professionals working in careers that you think you may find interesting. It’s not going to come to you-you need to get out there and start exploring your options in order to find something that you will be passionate about doing.

To Summarise

Even though you are not expected to know exactly what career you want to end up in, it is important to be proactive about it. Research career options, get involved in Job Shadowing and make sure that you are developing the key skills that employers look for and above all, enjoy the process!

Joanne Wood is the founder of Achieve Careers, an organisation that provides career development support to schools in the form of Career Development manuals for scholars, and workshops for Life Orientation teachers. For more information visit www.achievecareers.co.za.

Knowledge is power

1. You need knowledge about yourself, what you are good at and what you enjoy. –
2. You need knowledge of the world of work.

The most important subject choice is whether you take Core Mathematics or Maths Literacy. 

You will need Core Mathematics and Physical Science if you are interested in these careers:

• Engineering
• Medicine (Medical careers also require Life Science)
• Science

These Careers require Core Mathematics and usually, Business-Related subjects are useful.

• Accounting
• Information Technology (IT)

English is the language of instruction at most tertiary institutions

Here is a list of 23 industries where you could work

Click on one them below and you will then see the Careers that fall in that fall into that field.
If you click on the Career title it will show you a job description with information about what it involves including how to get there.

Choose a few industries to explore:

• Agriculture, Fishing, Farming and Forestry
• Animal Sciences
• Artisans, Trades and Technicians
• Arts, Media and Entertainment
• Business, Admin, Finance and Sales
• Construction, Engineering and Mining
• Education and Training
• Earth, Environment and Conservation
• Fashion and Beauty
• Gardening, Horticulture and Botany
• Government and Law
• Green Careers
• Historical Sciences
• IT and Telecommunications
• Medical, Health & Life Sciences
• Production and Manufacturing
• Safety, Security and Emergency Services
• Science, Technology and Mathematics
• Social, Domestic and Community Services
• Sports, Sports Science and Recreation
• Tourism, Hospitality, Gaming and Lotteries
• Transport and Logistics
• Wholesale and Retail

Students who would like to start their career studies in Grade 9 or slightly later – have the option to leave their current school and attend a TVET College.  There are many TVET colleges to choose from. Click here to find a TVET College near you!

If this option interests you, go to the Training page and discover what opportunities are on your doorstep!    

Here are just a few examples of courses at TVET Colleges (there are many more options available ).

Receptionist Studies Certificate
Study period: 8-12 months
Minimum requirements: basic literacy and must be over 16 years old

Trades: (Plumber/ Welder/Motor Mechanic/Electrician etc)
Study period: NFQ Certificate – 3 Year Diploma
Minimum requirements: Grade 9 Certificate

Website Designer
Study period: 7-9 months to 2 Years
Minimum requirements: Grade 10 Certificate

Beauty Therapist
Study period: 18-22 months
Minimum requirements: Grade 10 Certificate

Specialised Training

Some colleges or schools are specialised in certain fields.  Example:  The Waterfront Theatre School in Cape Town offers certificates and diplomas in Speech and Drama, Musical Theatre, Dance, Directing, Teaching etc.

Here are a few examples of courses offered (there are many more options available).

Teaching Theatre Arts
Minimum requirements:  Age 18 – Grade 8 with speech & drama, musical theatre, dance or music

Performers Diploma in Speech & Drama
Minimum requirements:  Grade 8 with speech & drama

Studying after Matric

TVET College – Is it for me?

TVET colleges and universities have a large selection of courses you can study after matric.
Note:  Most courses have a minimum entrance requirement. Each department or faculty has its own requirements. Subject choices and results are very important.

Here are some TVET Colleges courses which require a Matric certificate (there are many more options).

Business Management Certificate
Study period: 10-14 months
Minimum requirement: Matric certificate

Tourism Marketing
Study period: 11-15 months
Minimum requirement:  Matric certificate

National Diploma: Fitness – Sports Conditioning Trainer
Study period: 24 months
Minimum requirement:  Matric certificate

Personal Trainer
Study period: 1 Year Diploma
Minimum requirements: Matric Certificate

University – Is it for me?

You will get a diploma or a degree at a university.   

To get into a university – the minimum requirement is a matric certificate.
That’s NOT all.  All your marks must be very good. Your school subject choices and combinations of subjects must be right for the faculty or degree you want to apply for. Check the Get Skills page for more guidance or CLICK HERE to contact a university near you to find out what their minimum requirements are.

Here are some examples (there are many more options).

Doctor(GP)
Study period: 6 Year Degree
Minimum requirements:  A matric with science-based subjects and most of all – very high marks like A’s and A+’s in ALL your subjects.

Lawyer
Study period: 4-7 Year Degree
Minimum requirements:  A matric with excellent marks – particularly in languages.

Architect
Study period: 3-6 Year Degree
Minimum requirements:  A matric with excellent all round marks – excelling in mathematics and science.  Architecture is very popular and the department only take a few hand-picked students.  Your marks play a very important role in their choice.