Gontse Maubane’s energy is infectious. Vivacious and outspoken, she doesn’t mince her words: “I have always wanted to work as a psychologist because I thought you just had to sit and talk and the money would come rolling in,” she laughs.
Gontse, 24, enrolled for SACAP’s Higher Certificate in Counselling and Communication Skills. “Only to realise that psychology was everything but what I had in mind!” she exclaims.
Subsequently Gontse graduated with her Bachelor of Applied Social Science degree from SACAP. “Because I fell in love with psychology as soon as I began to discover what it was all about,” she explains. “And I’ve decided to rock it!”
Intrigued by her chutzpah we managed a (colourful) catch up with Gontse and asked her to share her views on her SACAP experience.
Past pitfalls
Gontse’s matric marks precluded her from studying psychology. “I hated school with a passion,” she grumbles. “I opted to study nursing in the hope that I could work towards acquiring a bar in psychiatry and someday maybe even become a doctor (PhD) in psychiatry.”
“But then, BOOM! Nursing colleges closed. I had nowhere to continue my studies and no plan,” she says.
Fortuitously Gontse’s sister happened upon a pamphlet advertising SACAP’s Pretoria campus. “We thought we should give it a try!”
Happy highs
It was tough at the start. “I felt overwhelmed,” Gontse concedes. “There were times when the workload was too much and I had to tighten my belt and stand firmly on my two feet and push. But it felt really good, too.”
By the time Gontse got around to tackling her Bachelor of Applied Social Science degree, she was better equipped to cope. “I like the fact that the degree is difficult but possible,” she says. “I did it!”
“I also like that it includes Work Integrated Learning,” she continues. “Basically, you put all that you have learned into practise – it’s truly amazing!”
“What’s more, I love the fact that it’s impossible to complete the programme and remain the same. The degree literally changes how you reason and see things. You come to understand situations in a way that most people don’t,” she concludes.
Terrific teachers
Gontse says she found SACAP’s learning environment particularly impressive so we asked her to rate her lecturers. “Yoh! This question makes me emotional,” she confides. “I literally think that God chose them specifically for me. From my educators to my supervisors, I give them all 10 out of 10!”
“In fact, she continues, “I am always recommending SACAP because the educators give you so much hope. Even those of us who did not do well in matric can still have a great career. SACAP works with you and builds you up. That for me is better than anything.”
Facing forward
Gontse has her Higher Certificate in Counselling and Communication Skills as well as her Bachelor in Applied Social Science under her belt. She’s ready for the next leg of her academic adventure. “I have applied to do my honours in psychology at SACAP this year,” she says.
That’s not where she plans to end her psychology journey either. “I also want to complete my master’s degree,” she adds. “I’m not picky where I work. But one thing is for sure, I must teach. I love teaching! Imparting knowledge really excites me.”
What do you get excited about? SACAP has a wide range of psychology and counselling courses that will have you bursting with enthusiasm. Gontse is discovering that a little hard work can go a long way when it comes to achieving her career dreams. You can too. SACAP’s certificate and degree courses are challenging, but achievable. Click here to find out more.