Most people’s lives are divided into two stages. First come the years of studying, followed by working life. However, several Flowstars have been successfully combining these two stages as they push themselves and broaden their horizons.
In the last month or so, two Flowstars have graduated in their respective fields. One of those is Benedict Siyotula, who received a BCom in Marketing Management from the University of Pretoria. He started out studying accounting, but “fell in love” with marketing and switched. “I’m very entrepreneurial and business-minded,” he says.
Benedict says that businesses should encourage their employees to push themselves with their studies. “That’s one of the things that attracted me to Flow,” he says, before going on to explain that he will continue his studies; an honours degree is next on his list. “If it can be done, it should be done!”
The other recent graduate is Zintle Mtyeku, who received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing Management from the IMM Graduate School of Marketing. “I did it part-time,” she explains. “So, I would work half-days at Flow and study the rest of the time.”
Working and studying simultaneously is not an easy task. “It was a challenge. But I enjoy challenges,” Zintle says with a grin. “It’s good to see what you’re capable of.” She spoke about the advantages of the situation, such as using her knowledge of Flow and its clients as real-life examples. “Working actively in the industry helped when it came to papers and assignments.”
Like Benedict, Zintle wants to do her honours in the near future. “I want to become a marketing guru,” she laughs. “It’s important to encourage employees to develop themselves. Human resources are the most valuable resources a company has. You can’t clone people ... yet,” she jokes.
Another Flowstar taking her studies as seriously as her job is Khanyi Shabalala, who is set to finish her matric next June. Khanyi has, quite incredibly, faced the challenge of working full-time as the office receptionist and attending school every evening – and on Saturdays too! She seems to prefer the business subjects: “I enjoy economics, business economics and accounting the most.”
Here are some other studious Flowstars:
- Colin Ford is completing a BA at Wits
- Bianca Bothma is currently studying for her Master’s in Dramatic Arts at Wits
- Sebenzile Seletisha and Mildred Thabane are studying Business Management through Unisa
- Gege Leme is studying for her Master’s in Museum Studies through the University of Leicester, UK
Clearly all Flowstars feel they have a lot to offer, and show the desire to learn and grow. This all adds to Flow’s collective years of experience and training, which makes the company the dynamic, innovative organisation that it is.