With graduation fever looming around campus this week, it was the students of the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics turn to share in the spoils yesterday (Wednesday April 17, 2013).
The ninth graduation ceremony took place at the Fred Crookes Sports Centre, Steve Biko Campus.

As usual, DUT Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Ahmed Bawa, delivered the welcome address. In it, he acknowledged the fundamental role that parents and guardians play in the voyage of their children making it to this rite of passage. “This graduation ceremony is also dedicated to parents and supporters who have played a role in this journey,” said Bawa. He urged students to be vital participants in our democracy as well as to actively and entrepreneurially be involved in the country’s economy.

He concluded by quoting famous theologian of the 12th century, Isaac Newton, who encouraged “standing on the shoulders of giants” which denotes using the understanding gained by major thinkers who have gone before in order to make intellectual progress.

Before formally receiving their certificates, students were addressed by guest speaker Rohland de Charmoy, who imparted some vital tips to the graduates. De Charmoy graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2004 with a BSc Engineering (computers) and was awarded as the Top Final Year Computer Engineering Student in 2004. After completing his degree, he worked as an analyst with Accenture in 2005. In 2006, he left Accenture and joined Clyral, a software development and product incubation business as a Technical Director.
He started his speech by urging graduates to learn how to type on a keyboard more efficiently since “most jobs involve sitting in front of a computer screen.” He relayed his experience with his first job and how his colleague would always complete tasks faster than him because he couldn’t type as fast.

Like most people, de Charmoy always dreamed of opening his own business and working at his own hours. “We need a way to get to our dreams and the first step is to ask yourselves “how”. This is what changed my career path drastically,” said de Charmoy.

“Many focus on the destination of their dreams and not the journey,” he said. De Charmoy gave a point-by-point guide on how to achieve success. “Learn and apply yourself. Continue learning and remain energetic. When you have the means to, save your money. Switch your saving habits and this can create a tremendous change in your life,” he added.

He also urged students to take advantage of information that is so easily accessible to them and concluded by advising them to ask themselves the question “what steps am I going to take to start my journey to success?”

– Nikita Smith-Morgan

Pictured: Rohland de Charmoy, a guest speaker at the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics graduation ceremony yesterday.