Most matriculants have already submitted application forms to the tertiary institutions of their choice, written access tests and some are busily putting the final touches to their art portfolios or doing that last smidgen of community service.
‘Okay, you say…. But that is not me. I am just managing to stay in the zone with completing the requirements for me to sit my matric finals and I have NO idea what I am going to do after that. In fact the very discussion about what I am going to do next year causes me real agitation which usually translates into a bad skin day.’
So, what can someone do if they have made no plans for next year? Many people in this situation enter an unplanned gap year by default and are very disappointed to find that from about April, when all their friends are busy with assignments, they are left alone and bored and the ‘big chill out’ to which they looked forward with such eagerness, is actually mind-numbingly tedious. Coupled with that is the angst with which your parents eye you every evening when they come home and find you lying on the couch surrounded by empty coke cans and watching re runs of Pinky and the Brain. (After July, you might even stoop to Dallas!)
The gap year concept has been around for decades, but it is not as easy to swan into Europe or the UK and make a living bartendering as it was in the past. The current recession has meant that businesses are choosing to hire unemployed people from their own country rather than from other countries. This year has seen numbers of South African gap year students returning home due to soaring costs and limited work opportunities overseas.
But another option is to consider spending your gap year in South Africa and learning a valuable lifeskill or exploring a passion before starting on a more formalised designated course. The courses are not overly demanding and you will benefit by increasing your skills base while still enjoying the gap between school and a longer study course.
Some options worth looking at are:
Artistic / Creative
Certificate in Foundational Art and Design at the University of Technology. This is aimed at people who for some reason did not do Visual Studies for matric and are now sorry that they dropped it, or those who wish to explore artistic careers such as interior design but feel the lack of foundational training in art. This course will give you basic skills for fields such as jewellery design, architectural technology, fashion design, and graphic design.
Cooking
If you enjoy cooking but are not sure that you want to pursue it as a lifelong career, then training institutions such as Capsicum offer a ten month Professional Cheffing Certificate (accredited by City and Guilds) which will provide you with solid cooking and catering skills for a lifetime while providing insights into the world of hospitality and food service. This is also a good certificate to have if you want to travel at a later stage and need a marketable skill.
Computers and Office Administration
The capacity to engage with a variety of computer programmes is pivotal to success in most career fields. Proficiency in computer use is also essential and required for tertiary study whether at a university, technikon or private institution. If you are aware that you lack confidence in your computer skills, then a gap year spent addressing this lack would be hugely valuable. Many private colleges offer tuition in Personal Computing. Varsity College offers the Diploma in Entrepreneurship and Business Management. Although this is a two-year diploma, just doing the first year as a gap year option will provide you with significant computer skills and some foundational business knowledge that will be useful in any career.
These are but three of a myriad of options available. If you have a particular area of interest that you would like to investigate, feel free to contact me for some ideas.
ANNETTE MILLER
