I was in my last year of A-levels and had to decide where I would be applying to study further. With straight-As in all subjects, I had a wide range of universities to apply to, however none of them met my requirements – I wanted to obtain a degree which would be recognised worldwide and at the same time not leave my homeland. After searching many universities, I came across Unisa. It was a perfect combination. Its system was very flexible. I could study any time of the day and not be bound to a specific time. I could manage working and studying together, and most importantly, it fit in with my requirements. I finally decided on pursuing a BComm degree. I am now 22 years old and in my last year. With Unisa’s flexible programme, I was able to study and work part time in local companies like GURMOL and well reputed companies like KPMG as an intern.
Despite all the positives, the journey hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride. After my first year, I felt like giving up. I seemed to have lost focus, direction and the road to graduation seemed like it was never-ending. During that period, my family welcomed the latest member in the family – my baby sister. It was such a blessing.
However, my life became a juggling act. I had to wake up and go to work while also completing my internship with KPMG. Later on in the day there would be house chores and baby duty. At the same time I had to concentrate on my studies. With work deadlines, university assignment deadlines, new concepts to learn, baby duty and house duty, I felt that I would not be able to make it. There would be days when I would look at my Tax or Accounting book and nothing would make sense. There would be those low moments, where I felt disappointed with myself for not giving my education enough time and I would fall to tears. There would be moments I would ask, ‘am I the only one to going through such a phase?’ Phases of depression, stress, pressure… I would feel like taking a break from everything. But despite my low moments, I knew one thing. I could not give up! If I gave up at that moment, then I would never be able to gather the courage to start again. Besides, life is full of obstacles. If one wants to succeed in life, then we have to take it as a challenge, face it and move on. And that’s how I saw it. I could not let the low moments overshadow my aim of obtaining a degree.
With that in mind, I moved forward and was able to pass my second year. I am now in my third year. It certainly is tougher than my last year. But with continued determination and a clear direction to obtain my degree, I hope that next year I will be holding my certificate – a well deserved certificate because that piece of paper doesn’t just represent the degree you obtained but it reminds an individual that all those sleepless night spent studying, all those tears wasted when you don’t understand a concept, and all the continued effort and determination was worth it! After all, education is a lifetime investment!
Written by Uneiza Rassul
*Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the contributor of this story and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the University of South Africa.
