1. Careers and Career Choices1

2. Life decisions
The decisions we make regarding our careers begin as early as grade 9. The subjects we choose to take for the senior phase of our high school education effect the higher education (learning after school) qualifications we achieve which in turn effects the career we go into and the jobs we will get.
It’s not entirely fair to give a 15 year old child the responsibility of making a decision that will ultimately effect the rest of his or her life. A person does not have the necessary maturity and foresight to accept the consequences of possibly making the wrong decision at that age.
The solution to the problem of making a demand such as this is to make these young adults aware of what effect this big decision will have on their futures and teaching them what they need to know in order to make a more educated decision.

3. Let’s start at the very beginning…
A very good place to start; choosing subjects.
Compulsory subjects:
Home Language
First Additional Language
Mathematics or MathematicsLitracy
Life Orientation

4. Recognized subjects (as taken from the Department of Basic Education):
These are recognised as Matric subjects, each student needs to take three or more of these subjects
Accounting
Agricultural Management Practices
Agricultural Sciences
AgriculturalTechnology
Business Studies
Civil Technology
Computer Applications Technology (previously Computer Studies Standard Grade - Literacy)
Consumer Studies
Dance Studies
Design
Dramatic Arts
Economics
Electrical Technology
Engineering Graphics & Design
Geography
History
Hospitality Studies (previously Home Economics)
Information Technology (previously Computer Studies Higher Grade - Programming)
Life Sciences (previously Biology)
MechanicalTechnology
Music
Physical Science
Religion Studies
Second Additional Language
Third Additional Language
Tourism
Various Second and ThirdAdditional Languages
Visual Arts

5. Designated subjects (as taken from Wikipedia):
Every student that wants to go to university needs to take at least four designated subjects
Accounting
Agricultural Sciences
Business Studies
Dramatic Arts
Economics
Engineering Graphics and Design
Geography
History
Consumer Studies
Computer Applications Technology (CAT)
Information Technology
Languages (one language of learning and teaching at a higher education institution and two other recognized language subjects)
Life Sciences
Mathematics
Mathematical Literacy
Music
Physical Sciences
Religion Studies
Tourism
Visual Arts

6. Different types of qualifications;
Higher certificate;
Basic knowledge
Practical experience
Specific job/ industry
Focuses on application of knowledge
University of technology
Diploma;
General principles
Comprehensive knowledge
Specific industry
University oftechnology
Bachelor’s degree;
Broad education
Focuses on theory
Enables one to specialise and study further
University or University of technology

7. Requirements for admission to higher education
Higher certificate;
Pass one official language at home language level – 40% (APS 3) or more
Two other subjects – 40% (APS 3) or more
Three subjects – 30% (APS 2) or more
Various institutions require a certain APS score or specific number of points for a certain subject
Diploma;
Passone officiallanguage at home language level – 40% (APS 3) or more
Threeother subjects – 40% (APS 3) ormore (excluding Life Orientation)
Two subjects – 30% (APS 2) or more
Various institutions may have other requirements such as a pass at a certain level in a certain subject

8. Bachelor’s Degree;
Pass one official language at home language level – 40% (APS 3) or more
Four subjects from the designated subject list – 50% (APS 4) or more
Two subjects – 30% (APS 2) or more
Various institutions require a specific subject for certain degrees

9. APS system explained:
The APS (admission point score) system is used to determine whether your marks are good enough for you to be accepted into the course you have applied for. The marks you achieve in your NSC examinations earn points (awarded in ±10% intervals) depending directly on how well you did. These points are then added up and this score is used by institutions to determine how well you have done and whether they will accept you.
Whether Life Orientation should be included in ones APS score is widely debated and different institutions have different regulations as to how they deal with the LO mark. Some institutions include the LO score while others do not, some do include it but divide the score in half as Life Orientation is only worth 10 credits instead of 20 like all other recognised subjects.

10. More requirements…
Many higher education institutions have different combinations of requirements including recognised subjects taken as well as a specific APS score.
You will not be accepted into any institution if you have only achieved the minimum, you have to do better than that in some subjects.
You have to pass (30% - APS 2) at the language that the institution teaches in.
For some qualifications, such as those at an FET (Further Education and Training) College you may fail one subject (less than 30%) if you have completed all the assessments in the specific subject
Some higher education institutions may request that you write one or both of the National Benchmark Tests (NBT) depending on the course you are applying for to determine the level you are at compared to fellow students

11. National Benchmark Tests (NBT)
AQL
multiple-choice
3 hours and 5 minutes
Academic Literacy
Quantitative Literacy
Mathematics
3 hours
Based on gr 12 curriculum

12. Financial Assistance
University fees are expensive and in South Africa many people that want to go to university cannot afford it. This is one of the reasons there are so many types of financial aid available to students. These include:
Bursaries
Study loans
Scholarships
Learnerships

13. Bursaries
A bursary is an amount of money that a student is given to help pay for his or her studies at a higher education institution usually if he or she cannot afford the fees ordid wellat school.
Awarded by institution, company, business or municipality
Unless you fail, usually you do not have to repay a bursary however if you were awarded a contract bursary you will have to work for the company or business that awarded you the bursary for a stipulated amount of time.

14. Student loans
A student loan is a loan given to the student by the bank to help pay for his or her tuition fees, stationery and any other education related costs. When taking out the loan a parent or guardian that is employed and can afford the monthly repayments needs to apply on behalf of the student.
You need to be registered as a student to receive a student loan
You have to repay the money back to the bank, with interest. There will be monthly repayments that have to be made which will be stipulated and agreed on before the loan is given.

15. Scholarships
A scholarship is grant or payment made towards a students education on the basis of academic or other achievement. It’s usually a certain percentage of the tuition fees.
A scholarship can be awarded by an institution, business or organisation.
You do not have to repay the scholarship but in order to retain the scholarship you have to do well in your studies or the specific area you received the scholarship for.

16. Learnerships
Alearnershipis a job, related to your field of study, that pays you while you are studying. You learn the theoretical knowledge at the higher education institution and put it to practice in your job.
Students often do not get paid full salaries but receive an allowance from the company while they are working.
It is not necessary for you to pay for alearnership.

17. Questions?

18. References: