Page 222 - CAO Handbook 2023 final

6.1. FIND OUT WHAT YOU'RE GOOD AT
You are well on your way to being ready to make a good career choice if you can tick these 12 statements:
• I am taking responsibility for my career choices and have done a lot
of research into my future career.
• I know what career directions interest me.
• I know if I'd like to work with people or on my own.
• My career interests now stay the same and don't change much from
day to day.
• I know what I am good at and what I am not good at doing.
• I know what school subjects and marks I need in order to apply for
the career courses I'm interested in.
• I feel that I am being realistic about my future career options and
that I will be using my skills and talents.
• I know that when I work in my chosen career it will be important to
feel satisfied with the work.
• Other people are not making these decisions for me.
• I am planning to stick to my chosen study path not to ‘just try it out’
and figure something out later if it doesn't suit me.
• I have spoken to people who are in the job I am thinking about and I know what the average work day, salary and responsibilities for this
job are.
• I know how to use the Programme Choice List and make my
application to the CAO.
Congratulations on working through these steps towards making a good career decision! By now you probably feel a lot more confident in your ability to make a good career choice. Read on for a few more tips!
Paying for your studies
How you will finance your studies is also a very important thing to think about when making your career choice. There are different ways of doing this:
Loans – Most funding is in the form of a loan and loans need to be paid back to the institution you are borrowing from.
Bursaries – These are grants or monetary aid given to needy students or students who show good potential. These don't need to be paid back but you may need to work for the company who gave you the bursary for a few years.
A copy is usually available at the institution or on their financial aid web pages. A copy is also available at our office.
How can you find out more about loans and bursaries?
• Tertiary education institutions, except private colleges, have Financial Aid Offices that assist students with finance (see pages 232 to 243 for contact details).
• Web: www.nsfas.org.za. A National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) study loan or bursary is for students who do not have the financial means to fund their studies. NSFAS loans and bursaries are for studies at public universities and TVET colleges and don't require parents or guardians to give surety. Tel: 0800 067 327; email: info@nsfas.org.za; postal address: Private Bag X1, Plumstead, 7801, South Africa.
218 CAO HANDBOOK ENTRY 2023