Interview with Specialist Systems Analyst Nosi September
Tell us a little about yourself and your career choice
My name is Nosi September, I am a Specialist Systems Analyst with one of the big banks in South Africa. I am the founder of Career Advancement which is a career coaching company that helps the youth identify & follow their dream careers & also helps graduates & unemployed youth secure employment by offering services such as CV revamping, Interview Preparation, Career Coaching & one-on-one mentoring session to help them structure their career journey & providing support every step of the way. I hold BCom Honours Information Systems & Business Management degree from Nelson Mandela University. I am also currently perusing my Masters in Infomercial Systems & Technology at the University of KwaZulu Natal.
What major challenges did you face during your university days and how did you overcome them?
When
I was perusing my undergraduate, I did not have funding for my studies such as
a bursary or loan. I struggled financially and my parent had to pay the
tuition. How I overcame the challenge by working hard and getting a bursary for
my honors.
What advice would you give to matriculants who want to perform well in university?
I do not think it's about performing well; it's about finding the right qualifications that will open doors to the career that one wants to follow. I often coach a lot of graduates who have performed well in university they sit with qualifications and are unemployed. They do not know what jobs to apply for with these qualifications they "performed well go get". I always advise matriculants to have a dream, identify their dream career, dream jobs & where they would want to see themselves in the future. Then drill it down to finding and perusing a qualification that will enable them & will equip them with the knowledge to fulfill that desired dream.
What made you choose systems analysis as a career?
I
chose systems Analyst because when I was younger, I saw myself developing
systems and applications that make people's lives easier by using technology.
I've always been curious about when you use a computer or an ATM, what is the
behind system or program that it uses? Who designs those programs? How do they
do it? I've always wanted to be part of the brainy people who does that. I
remember while I was choosing my career, my mother used to ask: "so where
are you going to work?" And I'd tell her "Mama you see when you go to
a bank when you press an ATM, there are people who program those systems to
work & that's what I will be doing". Funny enough that 7-10 years down
the line that is exactly what I do, I design & improve systems and I love
what I do.
After graduation what happens? How did you manage to find a job that suits your interests and what challenges did you come across?
Once
one follows the method that I teach in my career coaching session, to start
from the end goal (dream job) and drill it down to (qualification) and drill it
down to the subjects one chooses in high school then it becomes easier. I've
always known I wanted to work for banks, I knew which systems I wanted to
develop, it was banking systems. This is a dream I held while growing up so it
was easy for me to aim for jobs in the banking industry.
My
first job was with African bank, I've also worked for other banks such as First
National Bank and ABSA bank. Finding a job after you get the qualification is
not easy, especially when you do not have a person who can be your career coach
and walk the journey with you. I was unemployed for 2 months after I graduated,
I relocated to Johannesburg to look for a job. The 2 months were the toughest
because I felt all alone & that is why I opened my career coaching company.
Where I make sure I walk the journey with young people and give them the advice
they need.
Furthermore,
I started a community for people who are unemployed and looking for jobs, it is
a WhatsApp group called "Job sharing community "where we all come
together and share jobs on the group. Many have managed to secure employment
via the WhatsApp group & it gives me so much fulfillment to see the lives
of many changes when they get their desired job through the community & the
help my company offers.
Why and how did you then start a company? What is the vision of your company?
I started my company because I was unemployed for two months, during the 2 months I did not have anyone to talk to or help me find a job. I felt lonely & lost, had no one to help me structure my cv well & help me best present myself in interviews. I would get no response, surely, they threw that CV in the bin & I would fail some interviews because no one was there to guide me.
My
company is Career Advancement Friend, where you get a friend or buddy who can
help you walk the career journey with you, you can talk and share your
frustrations & you have this person who understands you & gives you the
advice you need, the career guidance, career tips & tools such as how to
structure your CV & present yourself in interviews to secure employment.
The
company has helped hundreds of people in different phases of their careers to
reach the goals they are aiming for in their careers. My vision for the company
is to help more and more people who are confused about their careers. Open a
recruiting agency where I can place my clients in jobs, and work with
universities, and high schools to coach more young people about their careers
so they don't have to feel alone like I did. Additionally, work with the
government to bridge the unemployment and career coaching GAP in South Africa.
Expand in other African countries that need the help that my company offers and
further have a global footprint on our education system to incorporate &
take career coaching much more seriously.
How is it been running a business whilst working a 9-5?
One
has to find a balance between doing well at work & serving clients in the
most efficient way.
To get in touch with Nosi for advice or to make use of her services:
LinkedIn:
Nosivuno September (Link)
Email: septembernosivuno@gmail.com
Read our previous article about how to become a systems analyst (link)
