I am a bus station operator. I wake up at four every morning to fulfil my responsibilities. I make sure that the station is functional and clean, that the card-reader is up and running, that the gates where the customers enter are working. I communicate with bus drivers, customers, and colleagues.
My work is not strenuous, and it has all sorts of benefits. I’m never caught in traffic, because I get to work early, and by two in the afternoon I am heading to the gym or home. The pay is reasonably good. But I am not fulfilled.
I have always had a yearning for learning. When I enrolled at the university of Cape Town seven years ago, I thought my dream had come true. I wanted to study humanities, be it politics or sociology or psychology or history.
I chose psychology, because I had always been socially awkward and did not understand human relations much. I did not want to be a psychologist with an office and patients. I wanted to go into research. Unfortunately I was unable to complete my degree for financial reasons, and after several years of meandering and odd non-paying jobs, I got the chance to work at the bus station.
I battled at first, because the job requires face to face communication and I was not good at that. But I took it upon myself to challenge myself. My colleagues were cordial and assisted me in every way.
I have always planned to go back to school, but when my colleagues heard of my plans, they told me that studying part time would not work because the job can be physically taxing, and studying does not make sense when one is already in the job.
I got used to standing on my feet for up to six hours a day, I got used to talking to customers who were difficult, I got used to fixing technical problems on the computer system. After a year at the job, I enrolled at an online university for a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Public Administration.
My year at UCT and the job I was in informed my decision to choose these majors. It’s been two years now, and next year, hopefully I’ll complete the degree and be able to work in media communication and research in the public sector. It has been a long and hard journey, but it will be worth it.
My colleagues also talk about going back to studying. I always ecourage them. How can one claim to be alive, without a thirst for knowledge and elevation?
What I have learned is that you need an academic and emotional supportive base. It will help you through the long nights when the textbook seems to be written in gibberish. Don’t mix work with school. Respect the workplace. Don’t study at work unless it is your lunch break.
Let your colleagues and supervisors know you’re studying, and let them know when you’ll need time off. Draw a timetable and keep to it. Make peace with the fact that you will have to sacrifice social time. Don’t look back. Enjoy studying. In the end, you’ll thank yourself.
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