Not everyone has the opportunity to study straight after high school. Perhaps you didn’t have the funding to do so, or you were unsure of the career path you wanted to take.
Even if you did earn a qualification after school, it may not be completely suited to your life now. Dreams change as we evolve, which is why lifelong learning is so important. The great news is, you can always go back and study again and it is easier and more enjoyable than you might expect.
Tertiary education is completely different to the world of high school, which many students find empowering. Even if you didn’t thrive in a high school environment, you may blossom once you begin studying something you are passionate about. While high school is about learning and being tested on that learning in a particular way, tertiary institutions celebrate independent thought. Learning now means gaining and contributing fascinating and challenging knowledge on subjects that relate to your career and spending stimulating afternoons debating various topics with your classmates.
Spending this time furthering your studies has the potential to transform your career. While many of us learn and gain experience on the job, further education can boost your ability to grow rapidly in your career, or even kick-start a career change.
Lifelong learning can assume many different forms. It could be a short course, a three-year degree or Saturday and night classes. The most important thing is to open yourself to all the possibilities this learning provides, including a shift in thinking, networking and a firm idea of how you can use your skills to better the world around you.
Mpho Munyai is the Country Transformation Manager for Shell South Africa and studied a Master of International Business (MIB) through Monash South Africa. In addition to benefitting from the curriculum, she was exposed to a wide variety of different students and global outlooks.
She says, “Working with people from different countries and different cultures was phenomenal as well as unpacking international environment of business. The programme assisted me with understanding how things work in the global arena”.
One of the main reservations people have about studying later in life is the worry that they will not find the time. While it takes some adjustment, it is definitely possible to have a career and family while excelling at your studies at the same time. Most students find that they enjoy their course so much that they make the time, whether that is over their lunch break at work or at four in the morning before the children wake up. If you are motivated, and most adult students are, you will make it happen.
Themba Maminze pursued a Postgraduate Diploma in Management, specialising in Corporate Governance, while juggling a career and family.
He says, “I was able to balance my work and family life from the onset as I realised that I needed to plan ahead and be organised. It also really helped that the lectures were held over Saturdays, because a busy working professional like myself would not have been able to be visible on campus during the week”. Munyai also found ways to give time and attention to all areas of his life. “Balancing studies, work and family can be challenging. However, my line manager understood my career aspirations and helped me to balance my work. My wife and kids have always been very supportive towards my studies as well. I always made sure I spent enough memorable times with them, which we were all grateful for”.
Even when life doesn’t go according to plan and you are faced with unexpected challenges in your personal life, it is still possible to achieve your goals. Maminze experienced this when, in the middle of his degree, his mother passed away.
“I was at a very low point in my life and felt like giving up. Had it not been for the support of Dr Natasha Mwila, Prof. Humphrey Gowar and the late Prof. Anton du Toit, I would not have made it”.
If you are considering taking the next step in your lifelong learning, the most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. You have an entire network at your disposal who will support you in achieving your goals. This includes your family, employer and, most importantly the lecturers who know what it takes to help you succeed.
by 