Let's start with the question: how does one actually earn money?
There are probably 4 different ways:
1) Have a daddy that left you R10 million. Then you can invest it and live well off the interest. Unfortunately, very few of us have this option.
2) Do crime. Not recommended. You'll live a life of fear and probably eventually also end up in prison.
3) Start your own business. A good idea but very difficult - some 80% of start-ups fail.
4) Make money by helping an existing company make money. This is by far the best option.
(I have deliberately excluded working for the government. We already have a massively bloated civil service, gobbling up about 40% of our taxes. Jobs here need to cut drastically.)
However, in order to help a company make money, you need skills. (Muscle power alone can earn money, but only very little.)
So how do you get started?
The key is first HAVING A WILL TO LEARN, AND TO WORK. Feeling you're entitled to getting money for free just doesn't cut it.
The next step is to enroll in training that equips you to help a company make money. There are many ways to do this; however, obtaining a 'soft' degree - unrelated to helping you become a well-paid employee - is just plain useless.
Next, look at historically where your job may be going. We know we are in the 4th Industrial Revolution now. Many jobs WILL become redundant in the next decade, no matter how hard the trade unions scream. Economics always wins.
Search for developing industries. To take just a single example: the growing need for solar power. Get trained in installation. Or doing the associated electronics. Or selling solar PV panels and solar geysers.
There are many more avenues where you can be trained to have a future secure salary. The IT industry. Even becoming a mechanic. These days, with electronics to the fore, the car industry needs skilled technicians.
So put your pride in your pocket. You aren't going to become a manager straight out of school. Instead, actively seek out the training that in future will help you help a company make money. That's the simple - but often overlooked - secret.
This is the only way we will create jobs en masse in South Africa.
