It Is a New Life

Nina Simone is a great artist and she sings a great song saying that
it’s a new dawn, it’s a new day and it is new life for me.

Being able to access training and education is not only a new day and
a new dawn for those that are already in the workplace, but for many new
entrants it is critical that they can show the ability to apply a skill
or experience in the workplace.

Education brings life.

For those that have completed degrees and engage in a philosophy of
lifelong learning – research shows that lifetime earnings of educated
individuals in developed countries are between 3 and 5 times more than
people with no education. In developing countries this can often be as
high as 30 times. It is not only about the difference between annual
salaries in the job market but also in the continued ability to increase
your earnings.

Just having a piece of paper does not count. You need to be
qualified, skilled, experienced and competent. Qualified means that you
learnt something through a recognised institution and that you can prove
it through a piece of paper. Skilled means you can do the work.
Experience means that you have done it before. Competent means that you
can do it well. These do not necessarily follow in that order and you
need to assess for yourself.

The good news is that for many, education has been very inaccessible
up to now. The internet has changed that with education being available
in many different ways. To learn gives the opportunity to
start studying at no cost and as you get more confidence to pay for your
assignment and examinations. Supported by top organisations this
endeavour is changing the face of education as we know it.

An exercise to do is to create your own skills matrix. Put down your
skills (or those that you think you will need for a future career) and
mark off if you are qualified, skilled, experienced and competent. If
you are honest it will show you the areas in which you need to get more
experience and areas in which a qualification would assist. This should
give you an idea of where the gaps or constraints are for your career.
Based on where the gaps are you can consider some of the following
options:

How to build skill

• Offer to take on work in which you will exercise this
  skill

• Do a private assignment in your spare time which involves this
  type of work

• Volunteer to do such a think at a community organisation, church
  or other public benefit organisation where you can add value through
  this skill

• Complete the free education module in your area of
  study and you can then look at the certification when it makes
  sense.

How to get experience

• Experience is shown in projects completed and initiatives involved.
  Be sure to document and be able to prove that you have experience in a
  specific area. Don’t ever claim to have experience that you do not have
  – it always hurts you at some point in time.

How to be competent

• Competence comes with organisation and really knowing what you are
  doing. Learning to organise yourself is one of the most valuable skills
  that you can ever build. You need to constantly learn, get better and
  try to systematically increase your exposure to key areas in order to
  build competence in you daily delivery. Every opportunity to get and
  give feedback should be used effectively.

How to qualify

• Find a recognised institution that offers that skill and pursue
  it as a skills course or search for a qualification that has this module
  as part of a related qualification. See if you can do it as an
  individual module.

• Make sure that it is recognised and aligned with the relevant
  qualification authorities.

• Work towards getting a degree or other qualification that shows
  that you completed your qualification.

Studying and getting a qualification may be daunting – but consider
the below for a couple of reasons why it is an important aspect of your
life and some practical advice on how to approach your studies.

Study in a
direction where you have some passion

The reality is that a degree is going to define your future to a
large extent. You may object and quote famous people that do not have a
degree. The reality is that it changes your scope of opportunity
substantially. If you accept this, then you must use the opportunity to
study and learn about something that you are passionate about – or that
can support you in your passion. There is no use in studying medicine if
you want to become a lawyer. Even in business it is important to focus
on getting a degree that will add value to your future.

So make your qualification count, by choosing to study something that
you can see yourself doing for some time.

Studies
allow you to change or boost your existing career

If you are considering changing career – then like a leopard trying
to become a cheetah – you may have to change your spots. Studies can
allow you to do something that truly interests you and help you to get
unstuck in an industry or an un-inspiring career.

An advanced education allows you to take charge of your future and
work toward areas that are truly interesting or that enrich your
life.

You can change your direction only a few times in your career.
Companies will always look to your past experience when deciding where
your next job is likely to be. While these days it is more likely that
highly skilled people get employed outside of their study area – the
reality is that qualifications still count.

Pitch your career at the
right level

The level at which your qualifications are, will determine where you
pitch your career. If you are pre-matric you will end up with jobs where
there is high manual labour and limited strategic thinking. A B.Degree
like the a business degree is a minimum level for professional positions. A
postgraduate level qualification is typically required for advancement
in management.

Adults who want to go to the next level of their career, increase
their chance for a promotion and assuming more challenging and rewarding
job responsibilities by studying.

A lot of times promotion is dependent on having a degree and higher
management positions do require additional qualifications. It may not be
a stated requirement in all cases but qualifications definitely enter in
the decision-making stages and differentiate candidates.

There are exceptions – but these are realities. A lot of MBA students
are people that have businesses that later want to learn how to run them
better or to take their careers to a new level in terms of being able to
operate strategically. Is it not worth it to study a bit more and then
get to a higher level in your career ?

Study to advance yourself

When you decide to study you must realise that it takes lots of time,
effort and work. You constantly need to learn about your topic and make
the connections between topics that you studied previously and the new
materials. It is important that you study something that you are willing
to spend time on. You must think about the fact that not everything may
seem relevant when you start off but that there may be relevance
later.

A challenge is that technical people tend to certify in specific
skills and that this often does not lead to qualification. It is
important to study a recognised formal qualification, even if you are
chasing technical certifications.

Higher education gives you self-respect, a sense of accomplishment
and confidence.

High growth fields require
skills

As jobs are becoming more complex and technical, specific courses and
qualifications may assist you to get into high growth or scarce skill
areas. Technology and management always remains key areas for any
economy and specialist skills in any discipline will always be required.
Even generic skills such as project management require high levels of
focus and proficiency in a range of disciplines.

Studies are seldom full time

Most people don’t have the luxury to be full-time students. In South
Africa, there are more part time students than full time. This is a
global phenomenon. Full-time employed or stay-at-home workers and
parents need a flexible study schedule in order to advance through their
required curriculums and earn their degree. This is one of the most
attractive aspects and benefits of online/distance learning.

Accreditation is very
important

A non-accredited institution may try to convince you that you want to
study just to advance your learning. It is important that people
recognise your qualification and there is a trust that you had a quality
education. A qualification without accreditation is just an experience.
It is very, very important to check the accreditation status of the
institution you are studying with as well as the specific qualification
that you are interested in.

Loans, Bursaries and stipends

There are many structures in society that will assist you with
studying. Student loans, bursaries from employers or other organisations
and stipends for learning all make a big difference to enhancing the
opportunities for studying. education providers offer an innovative programme
where you can “pay as you learn” – which is that you can complete a
qualification, a module at a time and pay for the next one when you have
money. This makes it easier if you are self funding your studies.

In the end money does not have to be the constraint – you have to be
practical and take the proverbial bull by the horn and start enhancing
your education today.

So in summary – this year you can take your skills to a whole new
level by doing some basic things.

1. Complete a self skills audit

2. Enrol for a course or a qualification that will bring you closer
   to your objectives

3. Overcome all objections to not having enough time, money or
   ambition and realise that education gives you a new life.

May you have a new life in 2013.