With the myriad of choices available – and new career paths emerging all the time – our high school boys and girls face a daunting task in choosing the correct tertiary education option that is tailor-made for them, personally. Last year’s (2018) Michaelhouse head boy William Norton faced those same challenges and thanks to a unique career assessment tool, administered by Pivotal Talent, Will is now happily enjoying his first-year studies at the University of Cape Town. Michaelhouse will always be close to Will’s heart and this likeable young man has already made his mark.   Use KZN10 as your reference code in completing your Pivotal Talent online SubjectChoice (Grade 9s) or CareerGuide (Grade 10, 11 & 12) assessment. www.careerguidesolution.co.za   Let’s hear it from Will as to how his initial career-option path unfolded. KZN10.com’s Jono:  Will, in what grade were you at Michaelhouse when you did the Pivotal Talent CareerGuide assessment and what drew you to seek outside help in order to feel comfortable with the course of tertiary study to take?   Will: “Thank you for asking, sir. I was in Grade 12 [last year] and not 100% sure about what I was going to study at university. I needed some guidance and Pivotal Talent helped me realise that being myself and trusting my interests and strengths would lead me to making the right choice.” Jono: Will, given that you already had your school subject choices and were therefore focused on the Pivotal Talent CareerGuide assessment, if you had known at the relevant time (grade 9) that there was a Pivotal Talent SubjectChoice option as well, as to what subjects to take in grades 10, 11 and 12, would you have considered it? Will: “I definitely would have considered it – and used it -because of the personal insight it gives to your preferences. Subject choices are a tricky thing and during the course of high school I changed one of my subjects. I’m sure the Pivotal Talent SubjectChoice assessment would have helped me make a more informed decision the first time!”   Replace uncertainty with accuracy in directing your child’s full potential. Use KZN10 as your reference code in completing your Pivotal Talent online SubjectChoice (Grade 9s) or CareerGuide (Grade 10, 11 & 12) assessment. www.careerguidesolution.co.za   Jono: Will, as far as your experience of Pivotal Talent is concerned, were the following unique processes helpful: – that it is online and could complete from anywhere and on any device; – that you didn’t have to travel anywhere (i.e. you could do at home/school or over a weekend) and – that your report and findings were automatically generated and sent back to you immediately via e-mail? Will: “Yes, it made it accessible and took a lot of stress out of the situation because you could to do it in your own time, at your own pace with minimal pressure from anyone.”   Michaelhouse Senior Prefect 2018 William Norton stands on House’s beloved Meadows with his War Cry Leader Nzuzo Tshili. Will has fond memories of the House boys’ spirit and support, especially against Hilton College.   Jono: Will, as the 2018 Michaelhouse head boy and now 1st year University of Cape Town student, how important is it in this day and age to know that you are going into something that targets/leverages your core skills and competencies but also your interests and passions? Will: “I think it’s exactly what the whole of High School gears you up for. “I thankfully have fallen in love with my degree and I think it is largely thanks to the Pivotal Talent CareerGuide assessment” “I have begun to realise that studying something you enjoy is essential for your overall happiness. If you are interested in and passionate about your degree, it makes everything fall into place and it allows you to get the most out of your time at university.”

Jono: Will, how did Pivotal Talent assist you in taking the right option with respect to your university degree?

Will: “Well Pivotal Talent assisted me in discovering that I was passionate in learning about the softer skills, and dealing with people rather than the maths and science options.

“Pivotal Talent took into account my passions and skills, and furnished me with a considered report in double-quick time, which is now allowing me to enjoy every day at UCT!

“I almost fell into the trap of following the crowd and doing what everyone else was planning to do, but Pivotal Talent made me realise that being yourself and trusting in your own choices in responding to the questions is the most important part of finding your true career path.”

 

 

Jono: Will, what attracted you to the Pivotal Talent CareerGuide method of pinning down the ideal tertiary study path for you – perhaps in contrast to the traditional psychometric methods?

Will: “The thought of being able to do it quickly and easily from wherever you were was something that appealed hugely to me.”

Jono: Will, I find that particular answer very interesting. It says to me that Pivotal Talent takes away the pain and angst of over-dwelling on what can develop into an extremely stressful situation, fraught with what could be costly long-term implications should the wrong decision be made.  Hence, one might say, the danger of “following the crowd” rather than forging your own, unique-to-you path?

Will: “Absolutely sir, Pivotal Talent pinpointed the right option for me and cleared up the uncertainty that faces many of us.”

 

 

Jono: Will, as you know Pivotal Talent CareerGuide is not only directed at Grade 12s. Would you recommend it to Grade 10s and 11s as well? In getting an early start on pinpointing where their core interests, skills and performance strengths should be steering them?

Will: “Sir, I would recommend it 100%. The earlier you can start grasping what you truly enjoy and what your passions are, the earlier you will be able to start developing those passions into a career path that sees you doing what you love.”

 

 

Jono: Will, you might know that Pivotal Talent is a proudly South African product. A powerful, web-based analytics tool intent on accurately & scientifically assisting individuals in predicting their core interests, skills and performance strengths relative to available and evolving career fields. Did you find it to be so?

Will: “Yes I did. It might seem contradictory, considering that it is completely online, but Pivotal Talent really does feel personal in the way that it paints a picture of who you are and where your passions, strengths and weaknesses lie. It seems to know you better than you know yourself!”

Jono: Will, I love that answer! Power to Pivotal Talent!

 

 

Jono: So Will, is there anything else you would like to add, with regard to Pivotal Talent? Was it professional and efficient in taking you through the process and to the end result?

Will: “Sir, the entire process was professional and efficient, and at the same time I constantly felt that I was in control of the process. It was slick, and the end result was something that has helped me already – and I know it will continue to help me throughout the rest of my life!”

Jono: Will, coming from you, a young man whom I have got to know and like, a young man with proven integrity, I believe that through your words you have opened the doors for many more of our high school boys and girls to follow the Pivotal Talent SubjectChoice and CareerGuide assessment route.

 

 

Finally, if you will indulge me please Will – I know that you are a modest guy who prefers deflecting praise onto your peers – please list your school achievements, accolades and anything else of interest.

Will: “OK sir, if you insist, here goes…”

• Represented KZN Tennis for 7 years
• Selected as the KZN U19A Tennis Captain in 2018
• Selected for a School Exchange to Australia in 2016
• Senior Prefect of Michaelhouse
• Honours for Academics
• Honours for Tennis
• Colours for Cricket
• Achieved 5 Distinctions in Matric and was placed in the top 1% nationally for Economics and Life Orientation
• Own a business called NORTON&HARDIE
• Co-founded and ran the “Our House” social media presence
• Enjoy all ball sports
• Family and friends are extremely important to me
• Currently studying a B.Com PPE at The University of Cape Town

 

 

Jono: Phew! That is quite something. Will, once again, thank you for your time. I wish you all of the very best that life has to offer.

Will: “Thank you sir. Likewise.”

* Will was also the first KZN10 head boy from the 2018 year that Jono asked as to what he had learned from his position of leadership at Michaelhouse and what he would advise to the incoming House leadership group of 2019. Check out the link to that widely-read KZN10.com story.

https://kzn10.com/michaelhouse-senior-prefect-will-norton-reflects-on-the-year/

 

Also: Please read the quotes below to get an idea of the calibre of man that is Will Norton.

Stuart Orwin: “I look forward to seeing the path that Will Norton chooses and how many countless more lives he will have an impact on. No doubt he will cast his light far.”

Barry Haigh: “Will Norton remains one of the most altogether students that I’ve taught. He has always remained consistent and strives to give of his best. Will, everything of the very best for your future – I will be following it closely.”

Jono Cook: “The super-power that Will Norton has, is that he doesn’t have to try anything, do anything, in a group of people to stand out. He simply does – because he is so comfortable in being the William Norton he was always meant to be. Therein lies a lesson for us all.”

 

Will Norton and Pivotal Talent – leading the way…