𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩

𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩
By Mikayla Brown

As one of thousands of young South Africans, I know the reality of the job hunt—that exhausting, heartbreaking cycle of disappointment. It is the quiet mountain of sent CVs, the endless application forms, and the emails that return unanswered. It is those rejection calls telling you that you don’t have adequate experience for the job. I’ve walked in those shoes, and I’ve heard the motivational speeches telling you not to give up hope. But sometimes, you just can’t find hope in a sea of “nos.”

As youth unemployment climbs to a staggering 60.9% according to the Statistics South Africa young people grow more eager to make a difference in their lives and the lives of those around them. As a young person who has been a part of those statistics, the fight not to be another number weigh heavily on you. Your main goal becomes clear: I want to be the headline. I want to be noticed in the workspace, and be the one who actually grows and makes a difference. Now, I know you are probably wondering if this is just another article telling you to “be different” without actually telling you how to do it.

Let’s look at the numbers. While youth unemployment in KwaZulu-Natal currently sits at 46.1%, there is a massive gap in the tech sector. According to statistics from media information and communication technologies and training authority and statistics South Africa quarterly labour survey research found, Nationally, there are thousands of open ICT positions; in fact, across the country, roughly 118,000 digital roles remain unfilled, reflecting a 37% vacancy rate. Crucially, 41,000 of those jobs are at the junior level ideal for youth. The real hiring momentum for junior roles appears to be in areas like data science, analysis, and Microsoft development. In these fields, demand has outpaced mid- and senior-level supply, forcing employers to look for cost-effective, trainable junior digital talent.

With those stats in mind, let’s look at the story of someone who decided to take a step toward reducing those numbers and testing the tech space. Sandile Mgobhozi, a young man from Durban, saw an advertisement for a Victor Daitz and ORT SA three-month program in Big Data Analytics. Recognizing a turning point when he saw one, he said to himself, “I’m going to take this chance and step out.”

Now a graduate of the program, Sandile recently returned to speak to the incoming cohort of Big Data analytics students to share the mindset required to succeed. He challenged the new students to rethink their motivations, asking them,”𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞?”

He challenged the typical answers, noting,”𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧, 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝.”

He urged the cohort to view their current opportunity as the ultimate stepping stone.”𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, “Sandile emphasized.”𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭. 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭; 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲.”

Many looking from the outside might have thought, “Why not just find something long-term? Why waste time on a short program?” But that short program was Sandile’s stepping stone to success; that is where his journey for change started. By taking pride in the program and pouring himself into the work, he eventually landed a permanent career in data analytics at Cape Union Mart.

Overcoming a mountain doesn’t happen in one giant leap; it happens in the small, deliberate steps we take every day. If you are looking to kickstart your journey, my advice is simple: take that first step, just as I did when I applied for a learnership at ORT SA.

That program did far more than teach me essential business skills, it gave me a renewed confidence in my own talents. It taught me to step out of my comfort zone and embrace new risks, because you will never truly know what you are capable of until you try.

I encourage the youth of today to actively seek out opportunities, short courses, and programs that bridge the gap to employment and real-world work experience. Look for platforms that don’t just build your skills, but also build your confidence. If you want to take that video editing course, take the leap. Partner with organizations like ORT SA that are dedicated to empowering youth. Every single step shapes your future, so start with just one.