School’s out & here's how you can plan your next adventure

Finishing matric is a big deal because it marks the end of an era and the beginning of a brand new one – the world of work.

Some people will decide to go and work straight after school, others will study before they start working, some will work and study and still others will decide to take a gap year.

Each of these options have pros and cons, let’s explore them here:

You can start working straight after school:

The pros:

• You’ll rack up tons of working experience right from the get go, gaining a nice head-start on your buddies that go study first.
• Think how much more spending money you will have compared to your friends who don’t work!
• Going straight to work doesn’t mean you won’t have a great career. You could work your way up to the very top and earn more than your friends that studied.

The cons:

• You may miss out on a bit of campus fun – but you can make up for it in the evenings and weekends!
• It is much harder to break into the job market straight out of school.
• You could miss out on opportunities to get promoted due to not having qualifications – but it doesn’t have to stay that way, you can do some courses to up-skill yourself.

You can work and study:

The pros:

• You’ll have the best of both worlds – money, experience, and you’ll be learning and embellishing your CV on the personal development front.
• You can even choose to do a university degree through correspondence so you will be as qualified as your friends will when they start working. But if you choose not to a university degree, there are loads of courses you can do.
• And, because you’re working, you’ll be able to pay off your studies as you go, unlike your full-time student friends who will have a tidy loan to pay when they finish their studies.

The Cons:

• You’ll be really busy so you may not be able to go out as often as you would like to.
• You won’t earn as much at first while studying because you don’t have the qualifications yet.

You can study full-time:

The pros:

• Tertiary education can open doors for you in the long run.
• Delaying your entrance into the workplace can also act as a buffer between school and work, giving you the chance to mature a bit more before having to deal with serious work and people in high places.
• You don’t have to take on too much by studying and working at the same time so you can enjoy a few more outings (if you can afford it)!
• If you qualify for a bursary, you’ll save loads of money.

The cons:

• Studying is expensive; this means loans to pay off and living off a limited budget while studying.
• Any delays in your studies, like if you don’t pass a subject or if you decide you hate what you’re studying, will create further financial and time pressures.