How to study without matric :)

xrapidx said:
Just spoke to my Mom - wanted to find out about Std. 8 certificate.

I wrote three matric exams in 1998 before deciding it was a pointless effort, all HG:
English, B
Afrikaans, A
Math, C

Anyone know what water that holds?

EDIT, you know you're getting old when you can't recall things like this.

I slightly recall doing mid-year exams, but don't recall any at the end of the year.
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Got myself STD8 as well, landed up doing N3 Technical subjects, so if you have those 3 subjects, maybe look at N3 technical subjects to make up another 3 and thereby gaining your certificate.

I.E i have N3 in plumbing, fitting and turning, computer aided drawing, maths, applied science, draughtsmanship, etc all i need is my languages to make a certificate, but at this stage in my life, not required, so cant be bothered.
 
xrapidx, I'm sure there must be a way for you to study at a university. Experience is worth a ****load more than todays matric.

Slightly off topic. What's the story with people working in the engineering field without a degree and then later registering as an engineer? Heard something to this effect somewhere a few years back.
 
Hey xrapidx ;) I'm in the same boat as you. I dropped out of school early on and I tried correspondence for a few years but it never kicked off. I couldn't even get to my exam location because my parents couldn't afford it, neither did they have the time to take me.

Long story short, until you've tried and tried and failed at gaining the simplest thing there is to a normal person, you have no real objections to deliver to the conversation.

I've attempted to find out the costs involved in obtaining my matric and it exceeds R15000 all costs included. I could just as well use that money and get better certified in my career choice and get a better sallary and increased experience.

If I had the choice over, I would have put more effort in my Grade 10 year at school, but many factors played a role those days.

Today I've got a good job and I pay my own way, albeit not living like a king, but I get by. I would still like to do my matric, but I just don't have the money.

Best to you, hope you succeed ;)
 
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You are probably the most ungrateful person I have ever encountered. My chance of finishing high school was ripped from me - I was forced into adulthood and started working shortly after my 15th birthday - illegally in a clothing store as a packer in order to survive. Only when I turned 16 I could move to the front store seeing that I was now a legal working age. It is now 7 years later and I am still working my butt off to make ends meet. I want nothing more then to finish high school - I will proudly run in the street and scream the day I do get to do my matric!!! Due to huge financial implications I CANT ! But you have the opportunity to do it - DO IT! You have a lifetime to obtain as many degrees as you want but for your own self worth just complete high-school.
 
killadoob said:
Dude give the girl a break, it is her first post :D.
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No point in white-knighting this as there's no way you're getting in her pants dude. Unless, of course, you buy them from the clothing store she works at.
 
gravitygirl said:
You are probably the most ungrateful person I have ever encountered. My chance of finishing high school was ripped from me - I was forced into adulthood and started working shortly after my 15th birthday - illegally in a clothing store as a packer in order to survive. Only when I turned 16 I could move to the front store seeing that I was now a legal working age. It is now 7 years later and I am still working my butt off to make ends meet. I want nothing more then to finish high school - I will proudly run in the street and scream the day I do get to do my matric!!! Due to huge financial implications I CANT ! But you have the opportunity to do it - DO IT! You have a lifetime to obtain as many degrees as you want but for your own self worth just complete high-school.
Click to expand...

At least you learnt about the interwebz :eek: :rolleyes:
 
Hi

I have been a reader of mybroadband for a long time. Its loaded with all kinds of useful info. This thread caught my attention and was enough to make me sign up and and finally say - Hello :) - I am a n00b

For those who are surprised, yes there are many people floating about without a matric. In my case, my parents yanked me out of school at a very very early age and enrolled me into home schooling. Lack of peers and a proper academic environment left me slightly dented after the first couple of years. I didn't know what a university tech or a senior certificate were. I didn't finish, however I did enroll and complete a year of tech and then moved off to cti.

xrapidx I hope that things have changed in the last year but
am afraid it might be an uphill battle if you want to get your matric to enroll at uni. I spent the most of 2007 riding around to and from all the major institutions in my area, emailed Rhodes, UCt, WITs, TUKS and KZN and was rejected everytime.

I was not eligible to do ANY bridging course at the said institutions, not even unisa, because my national certificate was not a national 'SENIOR' certificate. I had newspaper articles of of high marks in electrical engineering subjects, achievements, trophies, pictures of me with trophies, next to trophies, behind trophies, holding trophies, 85% dist in comp sci at cti, 5 years of commercial programming, some of which is international, - but because I did not have HG English and HG Afrikaans, no one one would let me study a bridge course for anything, not even at 23. A dean at one of the bigger uni's set it very straight for me with "Quite frankly, you're white my dear, the panel wont let you enroll for a bridge course".
The government were phasing the whole n1-n3 out as well, so I had a last chance to get it or I would have no more that a std5 again.

I bit the bullet, bought the books, attended the Afrikaans classes on Saturday mornings and did the last 2 subjects in 3 months last year while working full time. The exams were one of the more excruciating things I have endured. I passed with 2 C's and it took one year for the gov to print my 'NeW' 'GrOoVy' 'SeNiOr' certificate but it eventually arrived.

The only thing I learnt was how depressing SA english poetry and short stories are, how many crappy movie versions of hamlet exist and the ability to talk and swear in Afrikaans when sober , with more fluency and spicier words ( actually, only ONE plus side about doing the Afrikaans exams ).Also if ever, my daughter will be a Dr or an Accountant and my son will be an Engineer. No less or no forgiveness.
You cannot short change on proper education, never ever ever ever.

I would love to do a Beng in electrical eng but Unisa dont offer it. However, I am enrolled for a BCom and might be aiming for accounting/Bcompt, depending on how the first year goes. I have gotten 100% twice and float in the 80% areas. Its tricky though as I cannot go fulltime without major sacrifce. I know it will get harder, but I feel the matric thing was the hardest part. Final years will be hard, but I can think of my matric memories and feel relief. What a pile. The world is changing, you cannot wholly gauge people on what their last school leaving certificate was. Someone who has NOTHING but drive and willpower will, 9 times out of 10, work 3x harder at their school work given the chance than someone who has all the prestige school leaving certs.

Anyway, xrapidx. like I said, I hope things have changed, what tech/N/Std are you sporting? Dont be put off by my story, maybe I just had every crappy councilor on every occasion I sought out information.

To gravity girl, hang in there, many people are in the same boat so you are not alone. You are never t0o old to get your certificates/degrees so keep plugging away. All the best.
 
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GravyFace said:
I have been a reader of mybroadband for a long time. Its loaded with all kinds of useful info. This thread caught my attention and was enough to make me sign up and and finally say - Hello :) - I am a n00b

For those who are surprised, yes there are many people floating about without a matric. In my case, my parents yanked me out of school at a very very early age and enrolled me into home schooling. Lack of peers and a proper academic environment left me slightly dented after the first couple of years. I didn't know what a university tech or a senior certificate were. I didn't finish, however I did enroll and complete a year of tech and then moved off to cti.

xrapidx I hope that things have changed in the last year but
am afraid it might be an uphill battle if you want to get your matric to enroll at uni. I spent the most of 2007 riding around to and from all the major institutions in my area, emailed Rhodes, UCt, WITs, TUKS and KZN and was rejected everytime.

I was not eligible to do ANY bridging course at the said institutions, not even unisa, because my national certificate was not a national 'SENIOR' certificate. I had newspaper articles of of high marks in electrical engineering subjects, achievements, trophies, pictures of me with trophies, next to trophies, behind trophies, holding trophies, 85% dist in comp sci at cti, 5 years of commercial programming, some of which is international, - but because I did not have HG English and HG Afrikaans, no one one would let me study a bridge course for anything, not even at 23. A dean at one of the bigger uni's set it very straight for me with "Quite frankly, you're white my dear, the panel wont let you enroll for a bridge course".
The government were phasing the whole n1-n3 out as well, so I had a last chance to get it or I would have no more that a std5 again.

I bit the bullet, bought the books, attended the Afrikaans classes on Saturday mornings and did the last 2 subjects in 3 months last year while working full time. The exams were one of the more excruciating things I have endured. I passed with 2 C's and it took one year for the gov to print my 'NeW' 'GrOoVy' 'SeNiOr' certificate but it eventually arrived.

The only thing I learnt was how depressing SA english poetry and short stories are, how many crappy movie versions of hamlet exist and the ability to talk and swear in Afrikaans when sober , with more fluency and spicier words ( actually, only ONE plus side about doing the Afrikaans exams ).Also if ever, my daughter will be a Dr or an Accountant and my son will be an Engineer. No less or no forgiveness.
You cannot short change on proper education, never ever ever ever.

I would love to do a Beng in electrical eng but Unisa dont offer it. However, I am enrolled for a BCom and might be aiming for accounting/Bcompt, depending on how the first year goes. I have gotten 100% twice and float in the 80% areas. Its tricky though as I cannot go fulltime without major sacrifce. I know it will get harder, but I feel the matric thing was the hardest part. Final years will be hard, but I can think of my matric memories and feel relief. What a pile. The world is changing, you cannot wholly gauge people on what their last school leaving certificate was. Someone who has NOTHING but drive and willpower will, 9 times out of 10, work 3x harder at their school work given the chance than someone who has all the prestige school leaving certs.

Anyway, xrapidx. like I said, I hope things have changed, what tech/N/Std are you sporting? Dont be put off by my story, maybe I just had every crappy councilor on every occasion I sought out information.

To gravity girl, hang in there, many people are in the same boat so you are not alone. You are never t0o old to get your certificates/degrees so keep plugging away. All the best.
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Hi Gravyface

sorry for the highjack , just wanna confirm is a N3 certificate not a Senior Certificate ?
I have N3 with Maths, Eng Science, Industrial Electronics, Instrument Trade Theory, Electrical Trade Theory and English and Afrikaans all on HG but apparently it means **** , and nowhere on my cert does it mention University Exemption so i cant enroll at Unisa for a BSc IT

Ive sent numerous mails asking for help but nothing even used the stupid contact us tab on the website

can someone maybe give me some info about these access courses i tried the link that Korn posted doe snot work have also searched UNISA website still nothing

thanks peeps
 
read through this entire thread as I'm/was in the same boat as xrapidx.
Thoroughly enjoyed it and thanks for the bump snotdronk.
 
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