Post 19: I Could Not Afford to Quit My Job

I had finally registered for my Master’s at North-West University, Mafikeng Campus.

Registration solved one problem, but it didn’t solve the one that had followed me throughout this journey: I still couldn’t afford to relocate.

Fortunately, my Master’s was by research. There were no regular classes that required me to be at the university every day.

I could continue working on my research remotely and travel to the university when my physical presence was necessary. This was mainly for discussions with my supervisor, practical work and learning that required access to software, and submitting documents such as applications for the university’s internal bursary and National Research Foundation (NRF) funding.

This arrangement meant that I could keep the breakthrough I had received at the municipality.

And I needed to.

The street-cleaning and greening project was still my main source of income. The stipend was not enough to completely change my circumstances, but something important had changed.

I was slowly becoming independent and was no longer entirely a financial burden on my family.

I could now pay for my own upkeep and occasionally afford the trip to North-West University, including a few nights in a guesthouse when necessary.

So that became the plan.

I worked.

I studied.

When I needed to be at the university, I travelled there.

Then I returned home and continued.

Weeks became months, and the arrangement was working. The Master’s was a two-year programme, but towards the end of my first year, I was already close to finalising my thesis.

Then something remarkable happened.

The NRF application I had submitted earlier was successful.

A lump-sum payment was deposited into my account.

For the first time, I had substantial financial support for my research, but the money also gave me something I had been trying to achieve since completing my undergraduate degree:

financial independence and room to move.

I completed the Master’s within a year. I narrowly missed the first round of graduation ceremonies at the beginning of my second year, so my graduation would take place during the second round later that year.

More importantly, I had managed to save a substantial portion of the NRF funding.

The problem that had prevented me from seriously entering the job market was finally beginning to disappear.

I could now afford transport to interviews.

I could afford accommodation when necessary.

And if an opportunity required me to move, I finally had some financial capacity to deal with what came next.

Years earlier, I deliberately avoided internships and entry-level positions because I knew I couldn’t afford them, even if they came.

Now the situation was different.

I could finally afford to apply.

Join the conversation

If you have obtained your qualification but your breakthrough has not yet come, what is really holding you back? Is it lack of experience, a driver’s licence, the cost of travelling to interviews, relocation costs, limited opportunities, or something else? For me, one of the biggest barriers was simple: I could not afford to enter the job market.