JANUARY is supposed to be a happy time for all those young people who jumped for joy in December when they received their matric results.

And because their marks reflected the enormous effort they had put in leading up to the final exams, they were entitled to celebrate their achievements. 

In January, many of those students with university exemptions - clutching their results and documents - stood in queues from the early hours of the morning to register at universities to realise their dreams of obtaining a degree.

After hours in the sun, many were not be enrolled and had to face the fact that, despite all the hard work they had put into their exams, they could not gain admission to university and enrol for the tertiary course they had set their hearts on.

And their happiness turned to disillusionment and they were asking if it was worth all the effort.

I believe that these students' problems started way back in their school careers. They should have been informed by their career councils, teachers, or their parents about the various career options open to them and how they should go about achieving them.

For example, were any of them told that they did not have to go to a university to become a certified engineer? Were they told that they could become a certified engineer through other routes? This is the information that should be given to the youth - and this process of career guidance should begin at least by Grade 10 - if not sooner.

I discussed this worrying situation with Jenny Findlay, the Trust Administrator for the Peermont Education Trust sponsored by Emperors Palace, and who works with the youth on a daily basis.

This is what she had to say:

"The recent drama at certain tertiary institutions has highlighted the total lack of information regarding application processes among learners. The application process should be covered under career guidance and is an important part of the Life Orientation syllabus.

"Learners should start looking at careers as early as Grade 7 - by selecting a high school suited to their needs and inspirations. The second important decision must be made in Grade 9 when they decide on subject choices. This needs to be given serious consideration and the high importance that it deserves," said Jenny.

"Unfortunately, learners are not guided by the correct information and parents don't always have all the facts, either. Schools push learners into combinations that are not practical where courses offered have more to do with what suits the school than what the market place needs. A case in point is when a learner is doing physical science with maths literacy."

She said that learners also need to familiarise themselves with the remuneration of various fields - it might surprise some to know that a plumber can earn more than a dentist!

"Once subject selection is done, learners need to start working really hard because tertiary institutions use their Grade 11 results for entrance requirements. This often surprises students who think they only have to apply themselves in Grade 12.

"Applications for tertiary study can be done as early as February in the Grade 12 year so it is best not to wait and end up being disappointed."

Jenny says a huge burden would be lifted from the tertiary institutions if the FET Colleges worked efficiently.

"I, in all good conscience, cannot refer students to FET Colleges as we know that most of them are not fully functional. They do not have enough lecturers for the scarce skills that the country requires and they do not assist students in gaining the practical component of their qualification.

"Yes, it is important to gain a qualification and one's chances of getting a job are much better with it. However, remember that university is not the ‘be all and end all'.

"There are many other options that may be better but scores of students are brainwashed into thinking that a degree is the answer to all their problems.

"This is not always true... just ask one of the many unemployed graduates how little it has helped them."

After my discussion with Jenny, it is clear to me that we as parents need to participate earlier in our children's lives regarding their future. We must ask questions, search the internet, look at what they like to do and, most importantly, we have to guide them if we want them to succeed in their careers - and we must act sooner rather than later.

If you are looking for advice, the Internet has many career advice links; just do a search using the words ‘career advice' in Google.

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