a person doing welding What do you do if you have your heart set on your teen going to university when they finish matric, but she/he does not have good enough grades, or does not want to go to university?

I saw this anonymous post on Facebook recently and was impressed by all the thoughtful suggestions.

 

"My son is not doing well enough to be accepted into university. Not due to intelligence but due to laziness. (It’s not for lack of trying and parenting before anyone gets on that bandwagon!)

Where can I send him next year after finishing matric to learn a trade? Do any companies (woodwork etc) do any apprenticeship’s these days that I could reach out too? Or any institutions that offer this? (He is very good with his hands loves EGD drawing (Engineering Graphics and Design) and enjoys that type of thing so maybe we have to stop nagging about university)

I’m at an absolute loss as what to do with him next year as we can’t just let him become another unemployed statistic in South Africa and we can’t have him freeload for the rest of his life."

I am willing to bet that many of you reading the post are sympathizing with the Parents. I have no idea if the youngster being referred to in the post has ADHD or not.

Below are a number of suggestions for parents and their teens to consider as an alternative to a university degree.

    • “I went straight to uni and never used my first degree as it was not actually something I liked. Years later in my 30s, I went to uni again to do a whole new degree and now I'm flying high . By the way in my group of friends I have the highest qualifications and the lowest pay. My friend who doesn't even have a standard 8, started her own business and is killing it.”
    • “Have a look at millwright. It is a good qualification and has many international job prospects. It is done through the technikons. It is practical and a good career choice and properly qualified millwrights are hens teeth now a days and can get a job anywhere in the world, and at a very good salary.”
    • “Working on those luxury cruise boats is a great idea.”
    • “Game ranger, Adventure Guide, Tourism” Working in any area of tourism is really good for those with ADHD. You learn so many life and social skills which include safety, communication, customer relations, computer skills, first aid, the environment, catering. You also learn to become independent and manage your life away from home. 

PIcture of a female rhino and her young baby

  • “Disney Amusement Parks”
  • “Ski Resort”
  • “South Gauteng College offers different Courses Engineering, Carpentery, Woodwork, Plumbing. There is a good one Roodeport and try Randburg as well. I think it's a government college”.
  • “Reach out to Adcorp they do internships for various companies. He could do that for a year, trust me it matures them very fast. My daughter was just exact same two years ago she matriculated. Didn't get a bachelor's pass, missed it by 1 mark. She had 5 various things she wanted to study, I told her no. She did the internship for 15 months and now she's more matured and will study something totally different to her previous 5 choices.”
  • “Software Development, Gaming, AI, Online courses, Web development. If he likes drawing and is creative what about a design course at a college?”
  • “Check also insurance learnership. For example Discovery, or Bryte. Entry requirement is matric.” 
  • Web design graphic
  • “Take a look at https://www.quest-africa.co.za/ - Quest is an action filled outdoor practical education program in the Eastern Cape in South Africa. Our vision is to facilitate the development and character of young people - to give them a true sense of purpose and direction in their lives, as well as the opportunity to grow through dealing with a variety of challenges.” 
  • https://matasa.co.za/ Mega Aero Training Academy (MATA), a Safomar Holdings subsidiary founded in 2010 based at Rand Airport, Germiston, is a prestigious aviation training academy, accredited by SACAA, NCAA, TETA, NAMB, and QCTO.” 

Image by GrumpyBeere from Pixabay  (welding)

Image by Fabrizio Van Marciano from Pixabay (web design)

Rhino image by Dave Pughe-Parry

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