Survey reveals South African graduates wish they had chosen trades over degrees
Most South African degree holders wish they had a trade instead, a new study shows.
Image: AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File
The debate between degrees and technical trades is longstanding, but recent research reveals that 69% of South African graduates wish they had chosen a vocational path instead.
A global study by MoneySuperMarket highlights this trend, showing a strong preference for trade roles among degree holders.
Interestingly, the career most degree holders would choose if they could swap qualifications was electrician, at 29%, followed by mechanic, at 15%.
3,600 graduates, undergraduates and doctoral holders were surveyed across 14 countries.
South Africans emerged as the most likely to swap their degree for a trade, at 69%, followed by New Zealand (67%), Mexico (62%), France (58%) and Spain (55%). The nation whose graduates are least likely to make the swap is Canada, at 42%, followed by Italy (44%) and the UK (45%).
Electricians also topped the global list of most desired trades, with 19% preferring that career, followed by painter and decorator (12%), mechanic (8%), carpenter/joiner (7%) and heating engineer (6%).
Among the South African respondents, those working in IT and technology were most likely to want to swap their degrees for trade qualifications.
The biggest reason South African degree holders gave for wanting to retrain was for greater autonomy, with 51% stating that being “their own boss” was a primary motivation. This was followed by the ability to do practical hands-on work (38%) and the potential to earn more money (38%).
Being able to choose where they work (28%), better work-life balance (27%) and job security (26%) were also seen as significant motivating factors, while 16% also said they’d prefer a job that didn’t require them to sit in front of a desk all day. Less screen time was a motivating factor for 12% of respondents.
“Being your own boss in a trade industry is very realistic; many people working in a skilled trade are self-employed and freelance, allowing them to work on different projects all around the world,” said vehicle technician Hannah Gordon.
“Working in a practical and problem-solving way is extremely satisfying. From being a mechanic, some of the problems we face are extremely hard to figure out. I could spend a few hours tracing a problem but once the issue is found and fixed and the customer has a working vehicle again, it gives you a huge sense of achievement.
“It is the same across all trades, whether you are building a house or installing a new electrical or water system. The progress and end results are what make the job so satisfying,” Gordon added.