Negotiating Career Crossroads: Embrace Positivity and Hope as your Constant Companions

by Prof Kobus Maree

The 2024 Grade 12 results have been announced. While many learners are celebrating their achievements, others face uncertainty and disappointment. Regardless of the outcome, now is the time to make thoughtful and strategically sound decisions about the direction of their career journey (trajectory). These decisions will significantly influence their future career trajectories and require the involvement of multiple stakeholders – beginning with their parents or guardians.

This brief opinion piece serves as a guide to help learners navigate and negotiate their career crossroads, accompanied by positivity and hope as steadfast companions.

1. How Can Parents, Guardians and Teachers Support Learners Who Did Not Pass or Get University Admission?

Reassure and communicate
The days and weeks following disappointing Grade 12 outcomes can be emotionally overwhelming. Parents, teachers, and counsellors play a crucial role in offering support and helping learners navigate this challenging period with hope, resilience, and purpose. Foster a positive frame of mind by reassuring your child that their academic outcomes neither diminish your feelings for them nor define their worth. If they ‘act out,’ understand that such behaviour is ‘normal’ under these circumstances. Listen actively, acknowledge their emotions, and normalise their feelings to create a supportive and empathetic environment.

Rethink the vocabulary of so-called ‘failure’
Disappointing Grade 12 outcomes are emotionally taxing for learners and their parents. The term ‘fail’ has no place in today’s postmodern vocabulary. It is perplexing why some people use that word when those who have purportedly ‘failed’ are at their most vulnerable, hurt, and disappointed, with self-efficacy at its lowest point and the lurking threat of destructive behaviour, including suicide, ever-present. Instead, use terms like ‘insufficient achievement.’ Why? While learners’ marks may negatively impact their chances of acceptance into their preferred study field, they do not define their overall success in life or limit their long-term career prospects.

Take proactive steps
If necessary, consult a psychologist, registered counsellor, or another trusted professional whom your child feels comfortable confiding in. You can also contact organisations like the SA Depression and Anxiety Group, Lifeline, or a suicide hotline. Take proactive steps: Act. Understandably, parents may feel disappointed when their children are less successful, but reproach serves no purpose. Reassure your child, communicate openly, and offer emotional support. Talk with them, text them, and ask how they feel, listening attentively to their responses. Remind them that “The roots of success are often hidden in the storms you’ve survived” (anonymous).

2. Resources Available to Learners as an Alternative

Going to university is just one of many trajectories to career success. It is important not to fixate on a particular tertiary institution or level of post-grade 12 education and training. Research has shown that whereas people with degrees often find employment more easily and earn higher salaries, the value of non-university study should not be underestimated. Assess each field of study and tertiary institution – whether public or private—on its merits, considering your unique circumstances. For example, a diploma in Information Security Analysis, or a technical qualification in, for instance, computer-aided design, blockchain technology, solar photovoltaic installation, or data engineering, can be an excellent fit for some learners, providing personal enrichment and helping them realise their key life themes (such as aiding those in poverty to overcome the same structural challenges they faced growing up).
Specialised certificates and diplomas (such as e-commerce, application architecture, cyber security, or machine learning) can open exciting new career opportunities, enhancing employability in ways that may surpass many conventional degrees. It’s crucial to thoroughly research career options by speaking with graduates, field employees, and employers.

Some alternative career trajectories
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges offer practical, career-focused courses in IT, engineering, and business. Learnerships and apprenticeships combine on-the-job training with theoretical learning, leading to highly sought-after qualifications in skilled trades or specialised industries.
Career guidance and counselling centers, non-profit organisations, and school counselling departments provide invaluable resources, workshops, and mentorship to help learners navigate alternative career trajectories. Taking the initiative to explore these options can turn setbacks into steppingstones toward success. Severe disappointment and despair can – and should – be transformed into dedication and success.
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) offers funding opportunities for eligible learners. Online platforms provide affordable courses in fields like coding and online marketing. Youth Employment Programs connect learners with training and job opportunities. Community organisations, including NGOs, offer skills training, workshops, and mentorship for school leavers.
Entrepreneurial ventures should be explored to promote self-employment, focusing on small business opportunities and turning hobbies or special skills into viable income-generating activities.

3. Coping Mentally with Inadequate Performance in Grade 12 Examinations

Not meeting their own or others’ expectations in Grade 12 can trigger feelings of sadness, guilt, shame, or hopelessness. Therefore, it is essential to prioritise learners’ mental wellbeing during this time. Let us begin by congratulating learners who qualify for admission to their preferred study fields and institutions. To those who have not yet met the required marks: relax. There is ample reason to remain optimistic about the future.
First, step back emotionally and reflect on your exam results with a sense of calm. Everyone faces setbacks and successes. Setbacks (or perceived ‘failures’) are simply building blocks for the future, offering opportunities for growth and resilience in uncertain and challenging times. Carl Jung, one of the most renowned psychologists, once said: “Be grateful for your difficulties and challenges, for they hold blessings. We need difficulties; they are necessary for personal growth and self-fulfillment.” These moments are opportunities to turn perceived weaknesses into strengths, to actively master what we have ‘passively suffered’ (Savickas).

Second, step back emotionally once again. Not achieving your goals in Grade 12 is just one of many career-life transitions you will encounter. Hope springs eternal. Countless others have faced similar challenges in Grade 12 and later achieved tremendous success. You have not ‘failed’ anything.

Third, refrain from pointing fingers or assigning blame to yourself or others. If destructive thoughts, including thoughts of suicide, arise, reach out immediately to your parents and seek the support of a qualified professional.

Fourth, engage in positive self-talk and affirmations to rebuild your sense of self-worth. Parents should provide or facilitate a safe space where learners can reflect on and process their emotions, helping them to renew their self-confidence.

Fifth, parents should encourage learners to engage in physical activities, mindfulness practices, hobbies, or part-time work to promote balance. For those dealing with severe stress and anxiety, involve professional therapists or career counsellors to guide them through this challenging time and help them regain a balanced perspective.

4. Exploring Options for Dealing with a Grade 12 Pass that Falls Short of Securing Tertiary Admission

Learners who still need to secure admission to their preferred tertiary education and training institutions may consider requesting a reevaluation of their exam papers. They could also apply to write supplementary exams or repeat specific grades or subjects. Regardless of the career trajectory they choose, success will require diligence, dedication, and commitment to follow through. Alternatively, they could enroll in corresponding courses at a different institution or training level.
Consulting a career psychologist – such as an educational, counselling, or industrial psychologist – can be crucial in guiding this decision-making process. If you choose to reapply in 2025, taking a gap year could be an option, but it’s important to first consult with a career psychologist and speak with former learners who have taken a gap year to gain insight into their experiences. Another possibility is accepting part-time work or engaging in constructive activities. Again, speaking to learners who have navigated similar situations can be helpful.
Ultimately, remember that you know yourself and your preferences better than anyone else. While others can provide general information and psycho-educational advice, only you can make the best decisions for your future. Others can offer valuable insights, but they cannot guide you on the most appropriate career trajectory for you. Trust in your own judgment and execute the advice you give yourself.

5. Discover a Sense of Meaning and Purpose in your Career-Life Journey

Sometimes, the twists and turns in our life trajectories lead us to unexpected, exciting, and fulfilling destinations. Nurture a genuine sense of meaning, hope, positivity, expectation, and purpose in your future career by consulting with someone who can help you clearly understand why you want to study, your life’s purpose, and your guiding “North Star.” View your career trajectory as a “story” that you are authoring.
Work with career psychologists to discover and pursue what truly matters to you – your central life themes – beyond just your job goals. Align your career choices with your core values to increase the likelihood of lasting fulfillment, meaningful social contributions, and the creation of an inspiring legacy.
Take time to articulate your career-life mission and vision, addressing important existential questions such as: “Why do I live?”, “Is life worth living?”, “Why do I want to work?”, “What is the meaning of my life?”, and “Where am I headed?”. By doing so, you will establish a strong foundation for the future.
See John’s (pseudonym) story for an example of how a key life theme can help you live a meaningful and purpose-filled career. He said, “I want to become a nuclear scientist specialising in renewable energy, work on nuclear fusion, and produce much more energy than by burning oil and coal (career choice), so I can (personal meaning) fulfill my need to be creative, use my analytical and mathematical skills, and work in a structured, high-level environment. Through this process (social meaning), I aim to help people become less dependent on fossil fuels, make the world a healthier place, stop the abuse of natural resources, prevent the sixth mass extinction, create jobs for others, and change the lives of people who, like me, grew up in a desperately impoverished township where air pollution was a major problem.”
The common thread that weaves through people’s career-life stories is the transformation of personal sadness, heartache, pain, or ‘suffering’ into accomplishment and social contributions. This process involves actively mastering passive suffering. By helping others overcome similar challenges, you address the pain you’ve experienced. Finding pride and joy in this work includes honoring the legacy of loved ones in the best way possible – each time you help others heal, you heal yourself too.

For information on bursaries, study techniques, relaxation methods, and more, visit www.kobusmaree.org.