Think of a recent time you applied for a job or to a university. Before a human ever saw your application, chances are a recruiter or admissions team first used artificial intelligence (AI) to filter candidates by age, level of education, years of experience, and other qualifying metrics, to ensure only those who meet certain preferences advance to the next round.

How did I land up with an interest in career development? Not through conventional routes like a psych degree, nor working in recruitment, HR or talent development. I've landed here through years of doing business research on the education market, and becoming qualified in Futures Studies to help others navigate change. But apart from the knowledge and expertise, here are the five intrinsic motivations that drive my interest in career development.

Over 13 000 students in South Africa’s higher education system have been left stranded after their campuses were effectively shut down by government in March.

Before launching Yonder, I met with career coaches and counselors who work with high school students and young professionals. I wanted to better understand the work they do and what needs they have. What I heard really validated what I hope to offer with Yonder. If you work in career development, then perhaps the following resonates with you too.

The news industry’s financial woes seem have reached a tipping point in 2024. The switch from print to digital already caused an existential crisis, but even publishers with viable online platforms currently face new distribution challenges.

Yonder is an Old English word that means over there, beyond, further. It's a familiar term in folk music, which is one of my favourite genres, and one that mirrors my practice in interesting ways.

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs finally gazetted the much-awaited digital nomad visa (DNV) in May 2024. With the new visa, South Africa joins a growing list of tourist destination countries – including Spain, Mexico and Thailand – who have begun issuing DNVs to attract remote workers from abroad.

Think of the last institution or learning provider you enrolled with. What courses or programs did they offer? And where do you think the ideas for those offers stemmed from?

Any team working together has goals and plans for how to achieve them, a.k.a. their strategy. But very few teams make an effort to stop and revisit their strategy. Each year many just repeat what they did the previous year, perhaps with a few improvements here and there. Some do occasionally rethink their strategy, but their process often falls short of what’s needed to really prepare for the future.