Jason Adriaan and Shahan Ramkissoon.
Durban — An online platform aimed to help prospective students navigate their education journey to the career path of their choice is the brainchild of two South African entrepreneurs. Study Start, an innovative online education tool, was co-founded by Jason Adriaan and Shahan Ramkissoon, who both have experience in the media industry.
Study Start guides individuals towards the right career path. The website offers personalised career recommendations, a directory of accredited qualifications, an education cost estimator, application assistance, detailed occupation insights, and access to previous matric exam papers and solutions.
Ramkissoon, a journalist and TV talk show host, said their mission was to empower individuals through education, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.
“This, in turn, leads to job creation and economic growth, benefiting society as a whole. The idea for this initiative stemmed from a talk we had about how difficult it was to make the right decision at a young age about what to study. We looked back at our experience and how complicated it was. Kids these days are always on the internet and we thought the best thing to do was to create a platform that would help them to make the right decision.
“On the site there is a fun career assessment questionnaire. It guides them to what they should pursue based on their personality and passion. A lot of people – including Jason, who studied medicine and accounting – start their studies and then realise they do not want that career.
“We tell people what the daily tasks in your job would be after you qualify, so you know if you want to do that or not,” said Ramkissoon.
He said it should not be about what parents want their children to do or society’s pressures, but go with what the personality assessment is advising them to do and what interests them.
He said deciding what to study was one of the biggest decisions in a young person’s life.
“We created a site that has career recommendations, a directory of accredited qualifications, funding options and application deadlines,” he said.
To access the Study Start website a person would pay a once-off fee of R350.
Independent on Saturday