With the new year loading just on the other side of the upcoming holidays, many people will soon enter new phases in their lives. The matric class of 2022 will have to make decisions with far-reaching consequences, and so too would the current Grade 9 class with subject choices looming.
Speaking in an interview on Salaamedia, career development practitioner Lindelwe Cili said one of the crucial transitions in a learner’s education journey was not the end of Grade 12, but in fact the end of Grade 9 as well. This, she said, was because pupils would be required to select subjects that would impact their long term trajectory.
“It’s such a very fragile time because there’s a 14 and 15 year old and we’re saying, ‘the decision that you make now will have an impact on your career trajectory or the different opportunities that are going to be available for you.’”
According to the South African schooling system, matric actually begins in Grade 10. Learners are required to select five of their own subjects in addition to Mathematics (or Mathematical Literacy) and a home language.
Cili said it was important that parents assisted and advised their children with subject choice selection. With the 4IR currently underway, options have never been wider.
“It’s very ideal that when students have to select subjects they have parental support so that they understand how can my subject selection broaden my chances at tertiary or somewhat just have some sort of limitations; understanding the opportunities that they will have based on their subject selection,” she said.
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Consider their interests
Taking the matter seriously, Cili said it was important at this stage for parents to consider their child’s individual skills and interests before selecting a line of subjects. She said this was more important than selecting a line of subjects simply to expand their tertiary options.
“I think it’s very important for us to ascertain and understand the student or the pupil that is selecting the subject; what are their interests, looking at their favourite subjects, looking at what they’re good at, looking at their academic strengths as well so that you pair that up with the the subjects that they need to select and then you look at opportunities that will derive from those subjects,” she said.
She said subject choice selection was the first step to tertiary opportunities. Making the right choices now would affect their studies later, and was no light matter.
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Emerging careers and subject choices
The world is constantly changing. A crucial aspect of survival is adaptation, and this would most certainly apply to subject choices.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is rapidly altering the world as we know it. This should not be ignored, she said.
“We need to be very cognizant of the emerging careers right now and if we look at the changes that Covid brought, we’re moving more [towards the] 4IR. At this particular point, getting into spaces of artificial intelligence, robotics, data analysis (your 4IR related careers, you definitely know that you are on the right path,” she said.
However, Cili cautioned against discarding traditional careers altogether as many of them may continue to yield stability in years to come. She said it was about strategic positioning in this era.
“I really think if you want to strategically position yourself as a young individual, explore the new emerging careers of robotics and 4IR, artificial intelligence – that’s the spaces to go into right now,” she said.
