Cape Argus E-dition

Changing careers midstream

KESHIA AFRICA keshia.africa@inl.co.za

AFTER investing time and money into completing their university studies, Keanon Fell and Juvani Aaron have opted for careers in a different field.

Fell, 26, has a BCom degree in management studies from UCT, but always wanted to be in the fashion industry, so he gravitated to a job as a fashion merchandise buyer for a retail company.

What started as a bachelor’s of business science degree in actuarial science took many twists and turns over the three years it took him to complete his studies. “I changed my major after six months to finance with accounting.

After a year and a half, he felt he had neglected to pursue his own interests. “I then changed to a BCom in management studies, with a major in economics. It was the most trying three years of my life, but I knew that I had to finish what I started.”

The fashion merchandise buyer said he had wanted to work in the fashion industry since Grade 10. But he was grateful for the lessons his degree taught him.

“Something that any logical form of education teaches you is the ability to analyse information, process it and make decisions that will assist in the role you fulfil,” he said, adding “even though I am not directly using what I was taught, it is the mindset moulded during this time that is helping me now.”

Aaron, 23, is a full-time wedding photographer who is in the final year of his LLB degree.

He’s been working as a lensman for the past two years and recently decided to pursue it as a career.

Aaron said he enjoyed studying law and that despite the challenges, it was very fulfilling.

“It’s nothing like the show How to Get Away with Murder, but it had its moments,” he said.

The photographer said he chose not to pursue a law career when he realised he wasn’t willing to spend his life bogged down in legalese, burning the midnight oil reading cases or researching foreign law.

“Shooting three weddings in three days or flying to Durban to shoot a destination wedding rarely felt like work the way law did. I may have been physically tired afterwards, but I couldn’t wait to wake up the next day and do it all over again,” he said.

Aaron said after school, he initially wanted to pursue videography but many people had told him that it would be a waste of his academic skills. “I decided to put my head down and study law so I could get a good, white-collar job, but life had different plans for me.”

But Aaron’s law studies haven’t gone to waste and have come in handy, especially when drawing up photography contracts. “I learnt time management from studying full-time, which is also definitely needed when you’re a wedding photographer.”

METRO

en-za

2021-11-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

http://capeargus.pressreader.com/article/281668258248703

African News Agency