The last few weeks has provided an opportunity for me to spend time with young and aspirational people, more than I usually do. For the last few years, near the end of the year we’ve upped the number of interviews we do as some of the best of the South African youth come into the job market, having completed their courses or degrees and are looking at prospects.

Through early experiences interviewing student tutors for Penguin Tutoring, to interviews at Rand Merchant Bank, to now employing people for Webfluential, there’s a little something special that shines through in some of the youth that I’ve met. Irrespective of the degree that they’ve completed or the awards and recognition on their CV’s, sometimes you get to meet someone with absolute fire in their belly.

Most often, the common traits are that youngsters from a financially challenging upbringing but are smart and desperate to succeed, show potential beyond normal bounds. I wrote about the risk/reward dilemmas for young entrepreneurs earlier this year, where if you have no money to lose, the dedication to achieve a goal can be quite remarkable.

The story of Prof Leeuw is one such story – a young man having started his story in the village of Taung, and going to on become a globally recognized astrophysicist. The grit and drive to pursue a dream, if you’re willing to not yield to an excuse, is probable for just about anyone.

There are brands like Profmed that are also happy to acknowledge these commitments to a cause and offer medical aid cover to a select group of professionals with a four year degree. Follow this link to find out more: