Career Centre Alumni Stories

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Alumni Stories

Can we still add more testimonials on the website? If so, please can you assist with adding the below testimonial from one of our alumni who is attesting on how the career centre has assisted her to be job ready.

The MANCOSA Career Centre has been an immense help to my early career development. Being a recent graduate had left me uncertain about the working world, where to start, and how to prepare myself for the job market. Fortunately, MANCOSA has provided students and alumni with the Career Centre platform which has provided numerous webinars on career development, CV writing, expert advice from well-known industry recruiters, and much more.

This has been beneficial and helpful to many people as it provided many tips and guidance to help job seekers and early career professionals gain direction.

“I’m a MANCOSA Alumina, who graduated with my MBA in 2015 and I was a mentor for the MANCOSA Mentorship Pilot Programme 2022. What I liked about this mentorship program is the training that we went through, and the group mentees which were allocated to me. In the first session, we looked at the river of life, where we got acquainted with each other to get insight into each other’s lives and the stories which were told were inspiring. Our mentorship group learned a lot and the team that I was in was highly active. We were able to build friendships and I was happy to have been paired with my mentees. The lessons learned and activities added so much value to the sessions and this was a new experience for all of us. We were well trained, particularly on how to deal with our group mentees and co-mentors. I appreciate the whole experience and the training that we went through. I was unsure of how to handle certain aspects, but this experience allowed me to come out of my comfort zone to be able to work with different people. This program is one of the best that MANCOSA is doing, and I recommend that it continues. I believe there are areas of improvement, none-the-less it was a wonderful program, and I will continue to support this initiative in the future. I am still in touch with all my mentees as we communicate and encourage each other. I am thankful to MANCOSA for choosing me to be a mentor and I am looking forward to the future.”

Working and studying part time, that a combination I wasn’t prepare for. Working a full-time job in the mining sector production in particular saw me drowning in fatigue. I work very odd and long hours 6 days a week. Getting ready for work at 3:30 am and knocking off at 17:30 barely being able to open my eyes once I get home in my study decks.

Post grad assignment demanded a high-quality research and content. It took more than my time and strength to deliver the standard quality required by the institution. Got a breather and more time when the first lockdown was initiated. I spend countless hours in the house on my assignments and exam preparation before I was called to resume with starting up production as an essential industry.

The pandemic became a blessing in disguise for my studies. It meant more time spend on my schoolwork and less free time. I didn’t feel the effects of the immense first national lockdown initiated by the President, but it took a bit of a strain financially. The lessons of procrastination learned from the first semester proved to be vital on the second semester. Overall, it was a tough year, but we prevailed.

“Gender is an important issue because historically, women have been underrepresented and their diverse perspectives have been overlooked. This has resulted in a lack of female leadership and economic contribution, particularly in female-headed households. It is important to recognize the differences between males and females while also promoting education for all in the community. Past input from women has not been valued, so discussing gender issues is necessary for progress.”

“Both male and female students at Mancosa have had similar experiences and feel included in the institution. There is no sense of exclusion and opportunities are available for both genders to express their views. There is no gender imbalance, which adds to confidence within groups and the ability to relate with other women.”

“It is important to take gender concerns into account in career services for a few reasons. Representation is important, as is awareness, which can give individuals the courage to stand up for themselves. Additionally, experiences with gender-related issues matter and should be considered when offering career services.”

“Investing in coaching and mentorship programs can be beneficial for breaking barriers and promoting gender equality. Identifying and addressing differences can help create platforms for growth so it is important to sustain the gender talk throughout the year and not only in August. Lack of participation can be addressed by offering programs that accommodate family responsibilities and scheduling conflicts. Encouraging more women to pursue careers in engineering and technology can also be beneficial. MANCOSA should explore these options.”

“I wanted to change my career path and I did not know how to begin or change. And then this program came about, and I met my mentor I liked her because she had an honest conversation with me about speaking to the relevant people, more so in the space/s, I would like to venture into. I did exactly that and now I just want to say, I have achieved my goal. I am in a very good space. It's been a great journey.”

“Through this mentorship program’s mentor training, I have professionally developed myself. I had to practice quite a bit of time management, patience, and flexibility as my mentees were from diverse backgrounds and professions. I have shifted from a fixed mindset to a positive mindset, and I am grateful for the opportunity to mentor the Mancosa 2022 3rd-year students/ mentees.”

“Interacting with the mentees gave me a better understanding of their needs which has helped me better understand myself and my needs”.

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