High school pupils explore future careers
Hout Bay Secondary School pupils had a chance to speak to representatives from various tertiary institutions during a career expo held at the Hout Bay library on Thursday July 20.
“Pupils don't always get exposed to what is available and get the answers to the questions they want to ask about their future, and they are generally unaware of what's available out there from smaller institutions,” said chief librarian Desiree van Ster.
“They don't always have to go to universities as long as they are passionate about what they study and have the drive to go further. A career is a lifelong journey starting in Grade 1 and continuing throughout life with many people changing course in the middle.
“When we are young we don't always know where our passions lie. As we get older, we branch out and develop our qualifications adapting to life and learning new skills.”
Matric pupil Luke Chese, of Camps Bay, said he had wanted to be a lawyer since primary school. “I’m constantly striving for better marks from being a 70% grade average student to 90 to 99% and becoming the school’s top student so that I can reach my goal.”
His ultimate dream, he said, was to be the best pupil to ever attend Hout Bay Secondary School.
Luke would like to study abroad, preferably in Sweden, and become one of the best lawyers in the world.
Another matric Tameron Samuels, of Hangberg, said she wanted to study further to become a teacher, open her own business or invest in one.
She dreams of moving out of Hout Bay to achieve her goals.
“I could ask questions and get the information I needed and they were helpful with the guidance of career choices,” she said of the career day.
“It’s exciting to see that people can achieve their goals when putting in hard effort and work. It gives me hope that I can achieve my goals in due time. I think that more kids should be exposed to this opportunity and that they shouldn’t be afraid to attend these expos or programmes that could help steer them in the right direction.”
Bongiwe Mdingi, an advisor at Stellenbosch University, said the expo had shown them the gaps in how to recruit pupils. She said it was not just about visiting the top feeder schools. Because of that, the university had already set up an appointment with High Bay Secondary School about advising pupils on future learning.
The AAA School of Advertising’s Shameema Leeman said they had courses on advertising, design and marketing and they offered internships.
