Have you reached your goals set when you were young?

How many times have you heard the saying” When I was young I wanted to become a  (fireman) but instead I became a (sales rep)?”

Over the next few weeks we want to talk about what you wanted to do when you where younger and why we often fail to reach these dreams. As kids grow older their vision of what they want to be changes but what is really cool is when you do find someone who has stuck to their initial dream and pursued it to become what they wanted to become.

The sad part is that these people are few and far between and the rest of us, well we settle. We settle for many reasons and at times the decision to do so is out of our control but other times we forget that we had dreams and lack the confidence to pursue what we want. Why do we do that? All of us have the ability to be great and yet a lot of us don’t take the offer.

So, those that can still afford to change – do it! Go back to your dreams and follow them. Those that cannot, let’s not let our kids make the same mistake and let’s encourage the dreamers, the power rangers and the astronaut.

To kick off the series we asked the guys and girls in our office what they wanted to become when they were younger and whether they achieved these goals. This is what we got:

Angelique Robbertse  (Currently the Job Mail Digital Marketing and Product Manager):

“I wanted to become a teacher. Presumably, the life of a teacher seems glamorous because they get all the school holidays, work half day and get to boss the kids around all day. For me personally it was the marking of “tests” or maybe just the ability to wield the red pen like a magic wand. 

I did not want to study after matric, studying was for the birds so I decided to take a gap year and did Au Pair work in France. Life just went into a different direction after that. Although I am sure that life as a teacher is challenging, varied, and highly rewarding, it was not meant for me.”

Here are some challenges you might face when you’re a teacher:

• Relating to every student takes research and patience.
• Be prepared for anything and everything to happen on your watch.
• What you want to teach may not be in demand when you look for a job.
• Dealing with parents can be challenging.
• Your principal can be your greatest ally or biggest enemy.
• Earning the respect of students is hard work: the older the students, the harder the work.

How to become a teacher:

I recently had the opportunity to chat to Andre who is a primary school teacher in Pretoria. Listen to the advice he has to give.

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If you want to become a teacher in South Africa, you will firstly need A National Senior Certificate (Matric) and then go on to study a Bachelor of Education (which is a basic degree in teaching), which will enable you to work in the profession. If you want to teach a specific subject, such as Maths, you could get a bachelor degree in that subject and follow it up with a post graduate certificate in education.

The actual degree courses last from three to four years if you study full time. If you want to study part time– you can expect a bachelor degree to take six years to complete, depending on the provider. Not all universities will offer part time courses so bear this in mind.

Many people will say it is better to get the B. Ed degree because it gives you the ability to be employed in more positions. If you study for a degree in a particular science and add the PGCE to it, you can only really be employed as a teacher of the subject you have chosen. So, unless you have a passion for a particular topic and want to teach only that, the Bachelor degree might be the best type of teacher training you can get, leading you into a rewarding career as a teacher.

Where to study: (to name a few): Wits, UNISA, Cornerstone, Varsity Collage and College SA

Feel free to check out the latest jobs in the teaching industry on Job Mail.

Over the next couple of weeks we will be looking at different professions individually. Here’s an idea of what you can expect:

• Sajadah Ameer wanted to become a Doctor.
• Struan Langlands wanted to become a Veterinarian
• Danny Bezri wanted to be an Actor
• Francois Labuschagne wanted to be a Paleontologist
• Saskia Meintjies wanted to become a Paramedic
• Neshika Thakurdin wanted to become a Dancer
• Chantell Nell-Marais, L’lani Swanepoel and Esta Pretorius all wanted to become Lawyers
• Liezl Grobler wanted to become a Fashion Designer
• Rachel Raymond wanted to become a Scientist

We hope you found this insightful and will be willing to share your story with us using the #WhenIGrowUp hashtag on your social media profiles.

What did you dream of becoming? Did you / will you follow through? Leave a comment and let us know. Feedback is appreciated and welcome.