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Finding
your niche If you enter
University, that's great. However, any career guidance counsellor
will point out that a university degree alone (as much as it is
a powerful tool you could use to build a successful career) is not
enough to do well in life. There are many
other attributes in your personality that are needed. A university
degree is only as important as qualities like honesty, dependability,
responsibility, leadership, patience, humility, management, the
ability to work together as a team and the desire to be helpful
and sincere (the list goes on). So what if
you don't enter university? Is it the end of the world? Definitely
not! There are plenty of alternatives. A large percentage
of students who complete their secondary education have some sort
of hope of pursuing a tertiary education as well. First you need
to identify that there are four types of tertiary education available. 1. University
Degrees (Science, Arts, Law, Medicine, Engineering etc.) The options
that are available to you now and their flexibility will amaze you
because if you go back just a couple of years in time you wouldn't
even have been able to dream of pursuing a university degree course
while having a full-time job! By the time you graduate, you will
have the degree and plenty of work experience as well. But with
so many options available, it is wise to carry out a fair bit of
research before you commit yourself to something. You must choose
your tertiary education depending on the career you wish to pursue
in life. Now, in selecting
the course of your tertiary education, you are about to make a more
serious decision. It requires more thought because you will be placing
more emphasis on your career choice as well as many other factors.
These 'other factors' may include academic skills, aptitudes, your
likes and dislikes, desires, creativity and leadership, and the
resources available to you. It may be wise to start off by asking
yourself "If money wasn't a consideration, what would I like
to do in life?" Most of us
don't have much of an idea as to what one is expected to do in a
particular profession. You should get an idea about the functions
that the professionals perform and the type of qualifications they
have to possess before you make up your mind. Once you have
given fair consideration to these factors, making a decision will
be much easier. However remember that the decision itself is not
the most important thing, but how you continue to stand by it. Whatever
decision you make will be a gamble you will be taking in life. Once
you decide which path to take and once you set your eyes on a goal,
never take them off. Always keep yourself focused on your goal and
you will eventually get there. There are many
valid substitutes for university degrees that could take you very
far in life, depending on the amount of commitment you are willing
to demonstrate on your part. They could be professional qualifications
as well as vocational training programmes. The qualifications range
from "Attorney-at-law" to Chartered Accountant and they
cover subjects ranging from Automobile Engineering to Guitar Making.
The Sri Lanka
Law College usually accepts applications in the month of April for
prospective entrants to sit for the entrance examination in early
September and those who plan to apply usually start preparations
about a year in advance. If you are interested in mechanics, the
German Technical College may help you get your 'dream machine' in
working order. I may not be able to provide all relevant information on all possible career options and details about how and where you can pursue them, but if you are interested and if you want to know more about the options that are available to you, feel free to write in to us. Scholarships,
grants? Check them out There are also
various local agents who can help you gain entry to some foreign
universities. Their services may extend to making the necessary
travel and visa arrangements as well, so it is something you may
want to look into. Studying at
a foreign university could cost you anything up to Rs. 2 million
per year and in some rare cases, even more, but the good news is
that some of these universities offer attractive scholarships and
grants based on merit and/or demonstrated financial need. These
scholarships could cover even up to 98% of your total cost of studying
at the particular university including accommodation and food expenses.
Naturally, this also means that they are very competitive since
the opportunities for 'foreign students' (that's us) are limited. Relevant information
can be obtained from any of the respective High Commissions of these
countries, from the British Council, US Fulbright Commission - Flower
Road - Colombo, US Information Service - 44 Galle Road - Colombo
3, Australian Center for Education - 312 Galle Road Colombo 4 and
of course the Internet. Useful websites: Note: some of these websites that cater to non Sri Lankans are listed as they contain information about the nature of specific careers and jobs and the required qualifications. It may help you direct your education towards achieving your career objectives. Private
Colleges - how do you choose degree courses
affiliated to universities abroad and their numbers are growing.
It is a matter of deciding what is best for you. Here are a few
specific details you need to look into first.
These are a
few factors that you need to consider before you make a move, but
there could be much more that you need to look into, depending on
your interests and course of study. Most of these institutes (if
not all) are situated in Colombo and its suburbs. So if you are
from the out-stations you will have think about accommodation and
transport as well. |
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