By Charmaine Ndlela
Making the right career choice plays a major role in your long-term professional success, but it all begins with making the right subject choices as early as Grade 9.
Many Grade 12 learners end up taking a gap year because they are unsure of what career path to follow. What causes this? Often, there is inadequate career guidance from an early stage.
This is why learners should start seeking career guidance as soon as they enter high school.
Career guidance forms part of the Life Orientation curriculum, as stipulated by the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement. It helps learners reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, interests, ambitions, and abilities to understand which fields of study and careers they may be best suited for.
According to the Department of Basic Education, provincial education departments are responsible for hosting career events specifically targeted at Grade 12 learners.
Inside Education asked career advisers how learners can navigate the transitional phase from high school to tertiary education.
We also spoke to students about their experiences with career guidance.
Many experts agreed that initiating career guidance in Grade 9 is crucial for aligning subject choices with future aspirations.
The subjects you choose ultimately determine the opportunities available to you when you complete matric.
According to a review by the National Committee for Citizens in Education, students experience numerous academic benefits when schools and families work together.
In other words, career guidance should start at home.
When parents guide their children from an early age, learners begin high school with clarity about their goals, making it easier to work towards strong Admission Point Scores (APS).
Parents should discuss career options with their children and help them research subjects, qualifications and requirements.
Vessels Career analyst and life coach, Monisola Oloruntoba, told Inside Education that the role of the school is to invite a career coach to help give talks to learners from Grades 9 to 12.
“A lot of career coaches like me give free school workshops in their environment. This helps learners to ask the questions in their hearts. The group session will help with varied questions, and they all learn together,” she said.
“The schools say they have career counsellors, but unfortunately, a lot of them are not conversant with modern career coaching and careers, as they are not skilled themselves,” she said.
Oloruntoba encouraged schools and parents to invest in psychometric testing.
“For those who can afford it, the school can have the career coach help with psychometric tests in the later part of the grade 11 year – they can add this to the tuition for the year, and coaches can give bulk prices. Or parents can get this session for their children from grade 9 before subject choice, and by grade 11 for career choice.”
The National Career Advice Portal under the Department of Higher Education and Training guides learners through questionnaires and resources.
According to the portal, learners need to be aware of their interests, abilities and values before selecting subjects in grade 9.
Shirley Brooks, a career guidance counsellor based in Cape Town, advised students to think carefully about their general interests and the requirements of potential courses.
“Some students excel in a long academic path, while others thrive on shorter and focused programmes. It’s crucial to find a study path that aligns with your unique strengths and goals,” she said.
Many universities offer bridging programmes for learners who fall short in subjects like maths and science, as well as extended degrees and higher certificates that provide alternative access routes.
A higher certificate programme can be an excellent option for those who need more time to decide on a long-term commitment to university, or who want to improve their matric results to reapply for specific courses.
With a higher certificate, you will be well-positioned to either continue with your studies or enter the job market and gain experience in your chosen field.
The Academy for Environmental Leadership, for example, offers an accredited higher certificate in conservation ecology. Beyond a traditional gap year, this programme enables students to enter fields like conservation and ecology with both knowledge and
practical experience.
The University of the Free State offers the GoStudy Career Guidance questionnaire.
This is a self-assessment tool to help learners and students make the right career and subject choices.
At the University of Johannesburg, the PsyCaD Career Services Unit helps students plan their futures and prepare for the world of work, from their first year right through to graduation.
The unit offers career guidance, assessments, mentoring and counselling through a variety of programmes and tools — including a Career Resource Centre and online platforms — to help learners and prospective students explore different study and career options.
The South African Qualifications Authority, in partnership with the Department of Basic Education, offers a National Qualifications Framework career guidance service that includes a website, career advice helpline, printed and digital guidance materials, and a weekly programme produced with SABC Education and aired on regional radio stations in nine languages.
For Grade 12 learners interested in studying at the Central University of Technology, career guidance focuses on helping them understand their personal interests, skills and values.
The university offers career-oriented programmes with pathways for both Grade 12 and FET/TVET students.
Sector Education and Training Authorities provide career guidance for learners in Grades 9 to 12 who are choosing subjects and considering career options.
Its guidance helps learners understand themselves, their interests, strengths and weaknesses so they can make suitable career choices.
In 2020, the South African Career Development Association developed an educational framework that includes counselling techniques, self-evaluation tools and information on careers and vocational preparation.
Grade 12 learners across South Africa told Inside Education how career guidance — or the lack of it — has shaped their decisions about life after school.
Lwethu Maseko is preparing to enter the University of Johannesburg next year and has already started thinking about how to build her career while studying. She shared some of the guidance that shaped her post-matric plans.
“The career advice I received is that as soon as I get to university, I should just make sure I do internships and start applying for bursaries to increase my network. I plan to take it. I was told that you first start with the harder stream, then you switch to the easier
one if you can’t do it,” she said.
Patrick Shange credited his family with helping him to understand the value of focus and discipline, and to apply it.
“I’ll be going to the University of Johannesburg. I got career guidance at primary school. My father was very strict when it came to our education; he wanted us to know what we wanted so that we could push our grades until matric,” said Shange.
He said his father would constantly remind him to follow his dreams and pursue his passion.
“I always wanted to study accounting, and that is what I’m hoping to do at varsity. I worked hard on my final exams to make sure I push my APS score,” he said.
Eighteen-year-old Hlamalani Sono from Hoërskool Ben Vorster in Tzaneen is passionate about geography and aviation. Family members working in similar fields inspired her interest.
“I want to study a geography-related field or pursue pilot training at a flight academy. Choose a career that you know won’t feel like a burden, but one where when you wake up in the morning, you will be happy with.”
Seventeen-year-old Bonolo Sibotho from Tlokweng Senior Secondary School explored multiple fields before choosing a career “driven by purpose”.
“I was advised to look at culinary arts, accounting and healthcare, but I simply chose to go with healthcare because it’s in high demand and I get to play a huge role in making a difference in people’s lives,” he said.
Tylor Dilamika, who completed the commerce stream, said she is excited to enter a field that matches her interests and personality.
“I did commerce in high school, and based on that, what I would love to study next year is either a degree in tourism management, a BAdmin in public management, or being a flight attendant. There are many more. I received career guidance from many of my loved ones, so much so that it’s difficult to count. The one piece of advice that stood out was being told, ‘Choose a career that excites you, stay curious and keep upgrading your skills’,” Dilamika said.
Siyanda Mziyako, from Emjindini Senior Secondary School, who has just completed matric, said: “Today I sign out as a Grade 12 learner. I leave with a full heart, grateful for every lesson, every challenge, and all career advice that has given me a direction. This
chapter ends, but my story continues.”
The pressure of finishing high school may not have fully set in, but when it does, learners are encouraged to prioritise their mental health and choose careers that align with their dreams – not peer pressure.
Early and accurate career guidance reduces rushed decisions and can help combat unemployment.
INSIDE EDUCATION
