Navigating the new 'normal'

A saying comes to mind: "May you live in interesting times" – commonly understood to be both a blessing and a curse.

Most would agree that we are living in very interesting times. We have been through major challenges in the past two years with the pandemic. Whether you are a new student, in your tenth year of studies or on the brink of graduating, you have had to grow fast, step up to the challenges thrown at you and become comfortable with uncertainty.

This is resilience in action. The world will always be changing, but right now, we are in the midst of big changes globally, especially in the working world. The illusion of normality has been shattered.

Companies are traversing the new workplace, each deciding whether to keep a hybrid workforce or move back into the office. Employees are realising the freedom and flexibility that comes with remote working, and some are quitting their jobs to find better opportunities elsewhere. The working world is opening up like never before – you can work from anywhere, for anyone in the world. We are finally using the technology that seems to have been available for a decade already.

It also means that various jobs that have been emerging for a while are now in high demand. At the same time it is making it more important than ever to take an interdisciplinary approach to our jobs and studies. We no longer have to stay in one field, in fact, it is encouraged to work across disciplines to find solutions to the world’s problems. Many research groups at UCT are doing just this.

You have everything you need to face (and navigate) this changing world, and we hope this guide will help you in your quest. Keep exploring, discovering and innovating – the world needs you. And keeps things interesting.