Facing your future ... NMMU Careers Fair

NMMU's Graduate & Student Placement team

“If I get a job, I will start working, but if I get a bursary, I will continue studying.”

This was the most popular refrain coming from final-year undergraduate students at this week’s two-day Careers Fair at the Heinz Betz Hall on university’s North Campus.

Whatever comes up first – a job or financial support to study further – will be the route they follow.

More than 2000 students, most of whom are in their final year of studies, visited the annual event (there are separate fairs for Law, Accounting and IT) attended by 42 companies on the first day, and as many again are hoped to attend today’s final session.

So if my powers of deduction are right – it’s all a question of money.

Whatever brings in the mula – a job or a bursary - will take first prize.

NMMU is working hard to grow its postgraduate numbers, and knows that to help the graph continue along its upward trend, it needs to invest money in its honours, masters and doctoral programmes (so watch this space … we hope there’s good news coming!)

In the meantime, let’s step back inside the hall where NMMU students are checking out the future job market.

What do they have to say about going forward (apart from highlighting the crucial role that financial security plays in their lives)?

That:

·         This is a great initiative

·         My interactions with a couple of companies has been good

·         I am hoping to get onto a graduate placement programme

·         There are companies I didn’t even know existed

·         This is just to get a feel of what is on offer (from a op-‘n-wakker first-year)

And what do the company representatives have to say about NMMU students?

That:

·         The response has been good, particularly on the first day

·         The layout of the hall is better for interaction (than UJ)

·         The students have impressed us

·         The opportunity to learn from students is always good

·         There will always be arrogant freeloaders whose only mission is to pick up freebies

·         The organization of the event has been excellent

And what do we – from a marketing and public relations perspective – say of the event?

That:

·         There was a good vibe

·         The students were interacting positively

·         Some students made us very proud (so courteous; clever and interested)

·         Others made us cringe by how little they knew

·         And that some made us angry because of their arrogant and unacceptable behaviour

We also learnt that many of the representatives at the Fair were former NMMU students, thrilled to be back on campus and proud of what their university is achieving.

“It’s been awesome. The interest has been good and we have been treated so well,” says Sibusiso Thungo, of the South African Revenue Service.

“We’ll be back. Your NMMU students – especially those with commerce degrees – who are already with us, are doing so well with us. They’re an asset.”

Now isn’t that good to hear?

Please look out for future programme-specific fairs for Accounting, Law and IT students at NMMU.

See our Facebook page NNMU4U for more photographs from today's fair.