31/01/2023
Hello!
A lot of things keep me up at night, well a few actually. But I won’t list all of them here because, though they make sense to me, some of them are quite bizarre and may even seem a bit irrational to others(hint – aliens? Lizard people…). But for the purposes of this page, I will mention the most relevant one. The limited focus on career guidance at our schools is an issue that continues to baffle and disappoint me. Considering that as human beings, we spend half of our lives, if not more working, I believe more effort should be put into ensuring that young people choose the careers they end up in more diligently and thoughtfully. And the only way we can do that is through awareness and education about the options available as well as the path to get there.
I can’t speak a lot about the private schooling system, but as an alumni of the public education system, I know very well that career guidance is not a priority as it is not a part of the curriculum . Because of that lack of focus, when I was in matric, I chose what to study at university without much thought or consideration. I simply did not have the tools and mentorship to think more carefully about this very important life decision, and what a disservice that was.
Because of that experience, among many others. I have dedicated a portion of my life to mentoring young matriculants and highschoolers from underprivileged backgrounds, guiding them about career choices, university life and many other relevant areas of life. And through the mentorship efforts, I am able to reach two or three students a year. But I know that’s not enough, and that is why the Quite Essential Topic was started.
I came together with another dedicated colleague of mine whose background is a bit different than mine. She is a product of the model-c schooling system and she had career guidance in her matric year, but even with that, it was still unclear to her what career path she needed to take. As a result she almost ended up in the hospitality industry, which she now recognises would have been a terrible choice for her. Fortunately, she ended up in the IT industry and I also happened to haphazardly find myself in the same industry, we found each other in the place of work.
Our mutual passion for youth development has led us to come with a bold ambition to reach as many young people, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds and offer them information about careers in STEAM, with a special focus on careers in the Tech industry . Because being part of this industry has been the most rewarding and eye opening experience of both our lives. And because the industry is so broad, we believe that as a nation, we will benefit from getting a lot more people to be a part of it.
The Tech industry, is rapidly growing, and is arguably the focus of the now and the future. Most innovations in the world currently are geared towards this industry. New age billionaires, start-ups and pioneers are all being formed in the tech industry. And I believe as South Africans and the rest of Africa, we need to do more to contribute and make a mark in this industry. History will not forgive us if we don’t. If through this platform we can share some knowledge, if we can inspire or mentor a young person to dare to dream, if we can inform the the next Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates of Africa or Larry Page and Sergey Brin, we would have done our part in contributing to a better South Africa.
So, welcome to our page, where we keep you informed on all things Tech! Please follow us and share our page to your friends and community.
From The QuiteEssential Team 🫶🏽, Stay Tuned…
