[Serious] What IT roles actually pay the most long-term… and what would you do in my position?
I’m 23(M), from a poor background, and I recently got a bursary to study a BSc in IT (Network & Security Engineering) at Eduvos. I stay in Walmer Estate, paying R3k rent for a shared room. I work a job that currently pays me R5k net, and I’m about to start a call centre job that could bring in around R12k — which honestly feels like a lot right now but I know it’s still tight when you factor in everything.
I start Block 2 (basically their Term 2) on the 4th of May as a first-year student. Textbooks alone are going to cost me between R11k–R14k total. Let that sink in.
The bursary is life-changing for me, genuinely. But it comes with conditions — I need to maintain at least a 65% average to keep it. So failing isn’t just an academic problem. It means losing everything I’ve built toward.
Here’s what’s stressing me most right now: I haven’t touched maths since matric, and even then it was Maths Literacy. Now I’m walking into Calculus cold, after a 4-year gap, I will be doing C++ amongst other modules and I don’t know fokol, owes tell me it’s hard so I’m scared. I know I need to prioritise the hard modules, especially anything maths-related, but between working 8 hours a day and trying to study, I’m already feeling the squeeze before I’ve even started.
I’m not looking for generic advice. I want to hear from people who’ve actually been in the industry or who came from a similar background.
Specifically:
- What IT roles actually pay well long-term in SA (and globally if you can remote)?
Cybersecurity? Cloud? DevOps? Network engineering? I keep hearing different things and I don’t know what’s hype vs. what’s real. What fields have people actually seen strong salaries in after a few years of solid experience?
- If you were me — first year, working full-time, no safety net — what would you focus on?
Certs on the side? Which ones first? Coding? Labs? Or just surviving year one and worrying about the rest later?
- How did you manage studying while working full-time?
I’m already tired thinking about it. I’m not lazy, I just want to know what actually worked for people who’ve done both at the same time.
- Any practical financial survival tips?
Cheap meals that aren’t just plain rice. Budgeting strategies. Anything that helped you stay afloat when money was genuinely tight every single month.
- What would you do differently if you could go back to year one?
What did you waste time on? What do you wish you’d started earlier?
I come from nothing and I need this to work. Not just “pass and get a degree”. I deadass want to build toward a career that can actually change my family’s situation. I’m willing to put in the work. I just don’t want to grind in the wrong direction for 3 years and come out the other side with a degree that doesn’t open doors.
If you’ve made it in IT, or you’re on your way there, I’d genuinely appreciate your perspective. 🙏