Study Bursaries

[BaGearA]

Morning Hubbers 

 

Long story short , I have had a hell of a life after school that always looked up and never materialized. I'm finally in a place where I feel i could go study and amek a good success of it. 

 

I looked into various short courses recently and while talking with People I got recommended to look at a BBA in Project management 

 

Which turns to be very in line with the job I'm currently doing. I'm 26 to be 27 next year which will be my first year of the 4-year part time program.

 

I've done many jobs and always left the place much better than when I arrived , my school results were poor but not hopeless. I'm awaiting an exemption document from UNISA to allow me to study a degree since i don't outright qualify with Matric results. 

 

I'm looking for any person, enterprise , company that could offer a scholarship. I understand these are trying times but it seems like those things are still available.

 

I don't need them to cover the entire thing , any little bit will help. 

 

Please dm me if you can offer a contact or path  can follow. I've never sat down and talked to someone who didn't like me after we got up again. 

 

Sorry for making it this long already

 

[IceCreamMan]

Great maturity in realising what you want to study. Presumably this will be at UNISA?

given that you are older than 23 I believe you should be eligible for exemption. This was certainly the rules when I was a student there moons ago. 
 

UNISA allows 10 years between commencement and completion of a chosen field of study. For my legal degree they even allowed longer than this but point is 10 years to do plus minus 30 modules is doable. What is the cost of a module these days? Maybe instead of aiming for 4 years do it over a longer period of time. Many of the earlier modules at UNISA don’t even require text books so you keep expenses down. 
 

will the company you currently work at possibly look at sponsoring a module or 2? Companies generally allow this when in line with your actual job. They may require that you work for a period of time or you need to pay it back if you should leave. 
 

best of luck. Go for it. Even if it’s just one module to start with. See if the discipline is there etc. 

[BaGearA]

5 hours ago, IceCreamMan said:

Great maturity in realising what you want to study. Presumably this will be at UNISA?

given that you are older than 23 I believe you should be eligible for exemption. This was certainly the rules when I was a student there moons ago. 
 

UNISA allows 10 years between commencement and completion of a chosen field of study. For my legal degree they even allowed longer than this but point is 10 years to do plus minus 30 modules is doable. What is the cost of a module these days? Maybe instead of aiming for 4 years do it over a longer period of time. Many of the earlier modules at UNISA don’t even require text books so you keep expenses down. 
 

will the company you currently work at possibly look at sponsoring a module or 2? Companies generally allow this when in line with your actual job. They may require that you work for a period of time or you need to pay it back if you should leave. 
 

best of luck. Go for it. Even if it’s just one module to start with. See if the discipline is there etc. 

Its not through UNISA themselves, They're just the ones that can issue me a doc saying that according to them I'm "worthy" of studying a degree.

 

Its through a private institution so the 4 year thing comes from that.

 

I'm speaking to my superior Thursday to see if they can help.

[IceCreamMan]

12 hours ago, BaGearA said:

Its not through UNISA themselves, They're just the ones that can issue me a doc saying that according to them I'm "worthy" of studying a degree.

 

Its through a private institution so the 4 year thing comes from that.

 

I'm speaking to my superior Thursday to see if they can help.

Ok, gotcha. 
 

if that fails to do it at that institution then consider UNISA. You can do it over a longer period of time and pay less per year cos your costs are lower making it more affordable but obviously it takes longer. 

I have completed 2 degrees through UNISA , one took me 5 years , the other a moerofa long time as I chopped and changed while studying. Point being UNISA is(was) flexible in its approach. This was a fair amount of time ago but I believe it’s still like that..

also look at possibly free courses at online universities across the world. 

Education is incredibly important, I realise many will have a different view but these days recruiters use education to thin out applicants and companies do the same. Many now insist on certain qualifications before employing. You can’t go wrong with education. Never stop learning. 
 

lastly, your boss is not your superior. He is just your boss. Semantics I know. 
 

keep us updated here please. Pursuing education is a noble cause I reckon. 

Edited November 15, 2023 by IceCreamMan

[BaGearA]

15 minutes ago, IceCreamMan said:

Ok, gotcha. 
 

if that fails to do it at that institution then consider UNISA. You can do it over a longer period of time and pay less per year cos your costs are lower making it more affordable but obviously it takes longer. 

I have completed 2 degrees through UNISA , one took me 5 years , the other a moerofa long time as I chopped and changed while studying. Point being UNISA is(was) flexible in its approach. This was a fair amount of time ago but I believe it’s still like that..

also look at possibly free courses at online universities across the world. 

Education is incredibly important, I realise many will have a different view but these days recruiters use education to thin out applicants and companies do the same. Many now insist on certain qualifications before employing. You can’t go wrong with education. Never stop learning. 
 

lastly, your boss is not your superior. He is just your boss. Semantics I know. 
 

keep us updated here please. Pursuing education is a noble cause I reckon. 

The one thing making me hesitant on UNISA is that their communication seems very bad. 

 

My cousin did his finance quali through them and finished through a private uni eventually cause of all the delays and issues regarding material and exams ect ect. 

 

The company I'm looking at ( CT training solutions ) have been the most forward when asking many questions even about bad reviews they've had online. 

 

The money I can freeup myself but I'll have no buffer left if anything happens to me in a personal capacity. I'll also be in some pretty deep debt.

 

So if I can find anyone who can just cover a percentage that would go a long way. 

 

Talking to many people and have a few leads but nothing concrete yet. 

[IceCreamMan]

4 minutes ago, BaGearA said:

The one thing making me hesitant on UNISA is that their communication seems very bad. 

 

My cousin did his finance quali through them and finished through a private uni eventually cause of all the delays and issues regarding material and exams ect ect. 

 

The company I'm looking at ( CT training solutions ) have been the most forward when asking many questions even about bad reviews they've had online. 

 

The money I can freeup myself but I'll have no buffer left if anything happens to me in a personal capacity. I'll also be in some pretty deep debt.

 

So if I can find anyone who can just cover a percentage that would go a long way. 

 

Talking to many people and have a few leads but nothing concrete yet. 

Good luck. 

[BaGearA]

On 11/15/2023 at 9:38 AM, IceCreamMan said:

Good luck. 

Thank you 

 

Heard back from Universities SA finally after chasing them like hell 

 

They won't issue me exemption cause I don't have the appropriate subjects.

 

I though being of certain age and being able to show solid employment and willingness is what exemption is about , not like they're giving me the degree. 

 

Just feels like I'm getting trapped here 

[IceCreamMan]

Just now, BaGearA said:

Thank you 

 

Heard back from Universities SA finally after chasing them like hell 

 

They won't issue me exemption cause I don't have the appropriate subjects.

 

I though being of certain age and being able to show solid employment and willingness is what exemption is about , not like they're giving me the degree. 

 

Just feels like I'm getting trapped here 

Unexpected, can you appeal? 
 

Just a thought, is it possible to ask UNISA if you can just register for one semester and see results from there? 

[BaGearA]

1 hour ago, IceCreamMan said:

Unexpected, can you appeal? 
 

Just a thought, is it possible to ask UNISA if you can just register for one semester and see results from there? 

Can't appeal the decision 

 

Looking into short courses or 1 year courses which they will accept to then grant the exemption but it feels like just throwing away a year. 

 

I recon I could score >70% fairly easy but I'm motivated now , I trust I would be top in my class if i could get into it

 

 

[IceCreamMan]

44 minutes ago, BaGearA said:

Can't appeal the decision 

 

Looking into short courses or 1 year courses which they will accept to then grant the exemption but it feels like just throwing away a year. 

 

I recon I could score >70% fairly easy but I'm motivated now , I trust I would be top in my class if i could get into it

 

 

 It’s an opening, grab it. 
 

it’s not wasting a year, it’s getting a qualification which will be higher than yr current qualifications. Consider it a stepping stone. 
 

 

[TIB]

An university degree is not is the end all of education, there are all kinds of wonderful other qualifications but I presume that this is the direction you want to take.

Rewrite Matric with Maths and Science as subjects and get proper marks. I think you now have the motivation. With that you can basically qualify for any degree. Unfortunately UNISA was offered at the same altar as Eskom et al but some proper residential universities do offer distant learning. Remember that while studying and showing progress you will be seen an achiever by the job market as someone for the future.

Now for the perspective on time (Icecreamman makes a good point): If you start at 28 and do a degree over 6 years you will be qualified at 34. That leaves you with 31years to work as a high earning individual, longer that what you have been alive!

As a young person you might see 7 years as a long and arduous time (yes it will take great effort) but from someone with a pretty long hindsight I only see opportunities for you! 

Good luck!

Edited November 17, 2023 by TIB

[IceCreamMan]

14 minutes ago, TIB said:

An university degree is not is the end all of education, there are all kinds of wonderful other qualifications but I presume that this is the direction you want to take.

Rewrite Matric with Maths and Science as subjects and get proper marks. I think you now have the motivation. With that you can basically qualify for any degree. Unfortunately UNISA was offered at the same altar as Eskom et al but some proper residential universities do offer distant learning. Remember that while studying and showing progress you will be seen an achiever by the job market as someone for the future.

Now for the perspective on time (Icecreamman makes a good point): If you start at 28 and do a degree over 6 years you will be qualified at 34. That leaves you with 31years to work as a high earning individual, longer that what you have been alive!

As a young person you might see 7 years as a long and arduous time (yes it will take great effort) but from someone with a pretty long hindsight I only see opportunities for you! 

Good luck!

Great point. 
 

I am at the other end of the age spectrum. I have a view that I should never stop learning. 
 

while we may scoff at education and degrees and things, and I concur they are not the be all and end all but in my case they got me into positions I would never have gotten into otherwise. Opened doors that would otherwise have remained shut. Made it much easier to emigrate etc etc etc and I only achieved my first degree at age 35. 
 

Much changes in the world,  but much remains the same. 
 

 

[Eddy Gordo]

Check with your local universities. I know UWC over here offers credits based on work experience etc. as they have a program for people working to obtain a degree.  Maybe you can find something similar. 

[BaGearA]

1 hour ago, TIB said:

An university degree is not is the end all of education, there are all kinds of wonderful other qualifications but I presume that this is the direction you want to take.

Rewrite Matric with Maths and Science as subjects and get proper marks. I think you now have the motivation. With that you can basically qualify for any degree. Unfortunately UNISA was offered at the same altar as Eskom et al but some proper residential universities do offer distant learning. Remember that while studying and showing progress you will be seen an achiever by the job market as someone for the future.

Now for the perspective on time (Icecreamman makes a good point): If you start at 28 and do a degree over 6 years you will be qualified at 34. That leaves you with 31years to work as a high earning individual, longer that what you have been alive!

As a young person you might see 7 years as a long and arduous time (yes it will take great effort) but from someone with a pretty long hindsight I only see opportunities for you! 

Good luck!

When i was younger my father and his father always said they think I'll be good at whatever I do , to a large degree that's true. 

My main reason for wanting a "degree" is I want to get out of here ( likely Aus but Spain and Portugal are also on the list ) right now I'm the procurement officer for a engineering company in the food and beverage industry. Wana know how much I have studied or worked in anything related to procurement before this ? Zilch , fokol , nada 

Yet I feel like I could/should be earning more. 

Look i got this job very unexpectedly and largely because one of the directors is a friend that knows that I had a very hard time a few years ago trying to become an electrician and that didn't work out. Because of experience i did get there she thought of me when this position opened up and honestly this might be one of the luckiest breaks I've ever got but I also want to improve and set myself up better. 

There's a plan for me here to eventually take over from the workshop manager when he retires and I'm learning alot all over here but if I don't study further then this job will remain here ( as in RSA ) and its fantastic but I want to get out. 

Early in the NZ thread there's a post from me about when i was still hopeful i would be a sparky but yeah that's before i learned of some harsh realities of this country. 

I'll update here as I go along. 

Talking to Boston university about a Personal trainer diploma that has the needed credits for the exemption cert and will be something I can make money with and enjoy alot if I needed to do it full time. Will look into rewriting matric as well 

[RocknRolla]

Are you specifically focused on the Business administration along with the Project management? 

I recently prepared for and obtained PMP certification form a non university institution.

You may find benefit in starting with a CAPM.

Along with some years of experience that you will need to record and demonstrate (in my case it had to be a lot more, as my highest qualification is a trade) you can do the required hours of formal preparation to obtain the certification.

From there, you can progress on to full PMP with whatever work experience you have in the related field. 

 

[The Ouzo]

On 11/17/2023 at 9:01 AM, TIB said:

An university degree is not is the end all of education

I used to firmly believe this. To a large extent I still believe this, but it would seem many companies and recruiters do not. As someone that has been looking at job listings almost daily for a very long time, even many mundane jobs are listed with having xyz degree as minimum requirement.

Even if you have the experience to do the job, your CV never gets past the initial screening process because no degree.

 

so if you have the will power to tackle a degree now, then do it.