You’d never guess what our brand new Springbok rugby star Courtnall Skosan wanted to be, before rugby! HINT: it’s super geeky!
We bombarded Cournall with a couple of serious career questions, to help our grade 11 and matric readers figure out their post-high-school futures, and his answers will definitely surprise you!
1. As a kid, what did you want to be when you were all grown up and why?
Courtnall Skosan: Growing up I had two things I always wanted to become: an IT specialist and a professional rugby player.
The reason for IT was, because I have an uncle working in the IT industry and I always admired him for what he was able to do with a computer and I love computers.
Rugby was always my passion and I always dreamed and envisioned myself being a professional rugby player looking up to many guys I was a fan of.
2. How do you feel about that now?
The IT is something, I have to say, I changed my mind on a little bit. I don’t particularly enjoy doing programming, but there are other aspects of IT that interest me. More the analysing side of it.
Rugby on the other hand has changed my world. I am blessed and privileged to experience so many things and live my dream everyday and that in itself is more than I could ever ask for from a having a dream perspective.
4. Did you have a specific career path in mind at the end of high school?
I always knew I had a passion for IT, I just never knew what exactly. So I decided to do my general diploma in IT with the hopes of specialising as time went on.
5. If you did, did you do something specific to make that dream happen during high school?
I always enjoyed attending my IT class. I spent a lot of time at home working on coding and went through my textbooks and did research on improving my skills.
6. Did you apply for any tertiary education courses after high school? If so, where and why?
I went to Northlink College in Plattekloof and applied for my 3 year Diploma in IT. The reason I chose these qualifications, was because I was a bit too late to apply to university and it was just too expensive at that time.
7. What did you eventually do right after high school?
I studied and played club rugby at a club not too far from home. But my focus was mostly on my studies as I didn’t want to waste an opportunity to learn.
8. Are you happy with the choices you made following high school and why/ why not?
I am very happy. It turned out to be very good decisions, although it wasn’t always easy. I made decisions lead by God and ended exactly where He wanted me to be at this specific moment in my life. And that’s something I don’t doubt for even a second.
9. Any advice you would give this year’s grade 11’s and matrics on their after-high-school plans?
I think the most important thing is to follow your passion. Sometimes we get a lot of pressure from family wanting to push us in a certain direction, but I believe that being happy and passionate about what you do will mean more to you going forward than feeling pressured to do something you’re not passionate about.
My advice is work hard and keep believing in yourself.
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