Welcome back to FirstStep.me, the fun side of being serious…and for those first time visitors, enjoy the adventure. Launched in 2005 in South Africa, FirstStep.me (previously FirstStep.co.za) has grown in leaps and bounds. Run by the youth for the youth, FirstStep.me is leading the way in helping individuals from around the planet to become more prepared for the Big Wide World one step at a time…

Get Educated Provides a breakdown of various options of studying further! Ultimate careers brings you a start to finish insight into the working world. From an A-Z career guide to a breakdown of companies to work for…throw in the FirstStep.me consultancy whereby we will help you find the best online information to becoming a better individual...and in the case of the World Wide Web, a more informed Global Individual!

FirstStep Live- Articles, competitions, News and the latest happenings with in the FirstStep.me team.

Roaming Newton- Check out the travel adventures of our very own FirstStep.me mascot!

Finance you Life- Find out the best ways to finance your career goals!

Gap Years- Because whether you are 18 or 45 or even 80, a Gap Year no matter how old you are, will ROCK!

A Gap Year in a Box, a quick solution to all your Gap Year Needs!

Accountancy in a Box, for all your accountancy career needs, questions and insight! 

Hospitality solutions, have a question about the Hospitality Industry we have the expert ready for you! 

The Accountancy Corner: Q & A’s for the accountancy industry. 

The Good Grad an insight into the ways a new working individual!

If you are under age meaning, if you are not allowed to consume alcohol then this article is not suited to you! However a Career in Beer, is more than just a rhyming topic but a career that can actually lead to something substantial.

We look at five careers in this field that are not just cool but are specialized:

1. A brewer, not just someone who makes beer but someone responsible for the recipe and structure of the end product. Wikipedia has more on the field: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewing

2. A chemical engineer, an individual dedicated in this case to the makeup and substance of the brew. Check out About.com for more on a career as a chemical engineer:
http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistrystudentfaqs/f/chemeng.htm

Q:What degree will I have to get to become a Forensic Scientist?

A: A Forensic Scientist or Detective has a very difficult job that is important to the solving of crimes and processing of evidence. All physical evidence that is collected at crime scenes needs to be analyzed by a Forensic Scientist. During investigations Forensic Scientists help bring criminals to justice and keep innocent people from being prosecuted.

The Curriculum Vitae (CV), a document that is supposed to be an individual’s personal career advert. It is used to promote and market oneself, illustrating why an individual is the next super CEO. However for some reason this document has become something of a conundrum, with either the person submitting the CV or the person receiving it never being happy. So what is the best way to structure a CV which will hopefully lead to positive result? We got in touch with Bridget Berry the National Graduate Recruitment Manager of Ernst & Young (South Africa) and asked her for some tips, advice and horror stories surrounding this career gap!

The first point that Bridget asserts is spelling, yes grammar, get your CV into good shape, make it look presentable and make sure your diction is in order “…including the name of the company that you are applying to.”

CRACK THE CHAMPERS ON THE CHAMPS-ELYSEES

If you're lucky enough to be in Paris to usher in the New Year, the City of Light offers plenty of ways to say Bonne Annee! Paris is one of the most colourful and exciting places to celebrate New Year's Eve, whether your preferred style is clubbing the night away, top-notch dining, or a simple glass of champagne shared with a small group of friends or loved ones.

Roaming Newton Chapter 10:

New Zealand was becoming very relaxed, in fact too relaxed for my own good. I like a city with energy and I like things happening around me, I wasn’t seeing too much of that in Auckland. However I knew my time in New Zealand was up when I came face to face with a Llama on Waiheke Island, I could handle the sheep and the cattle, but this was way too much for me. I needed something with a bite.

There I was packed and ready to go, saying goodbye to the slow chilled life of New Zealand and saying hello good old South Africa again. Sure the bite I was looking for wasn’t going to appear by magic in Johannesburg but I still new that Johannesburg was a lot more fast paced than Auckland, after all it’s the New York of Africa and if there can be Alligators and Ninja Turtles in the American sewers, Johannesburg could have something too!

Q: I don’t want to enroll at a University or Technikon at this stage in my life, how do I join a country’s defence force?

A: This is really country or nationality specific question, so here are a few countries’ military websites that should give you a head start!

The United States Army:  http://www.army.mil/
Pretty cool website which is jammed packed with information about a career in the US Army.

By Yashivan Govender

From a man with an explosive eye named Cyclops to a lady called Jean Grey who has amazing telepathic capabilities, the X-Men team is not just powerful but are remarkable too. Add a gentleman with wavy blue locks called the Beast who has super animal like strength, throw him alongside the commanding Wolverine with his razor sharp claws and you have a well rounded X-Men team that are not only built to saving the world from nasty villains but also have everyday skills which help them deal with life outside of the X-Men headquarters! We dug a little deeper into how they manage to keep ahead of the pack in today’s busy world.

By MATTHEW KROUSE
At the end of episode one of Guy Spiller's serialised documentary about South African art there's a satisfying helicopter ride over Johannesburg. We fly over the mining activities in Jo'burg south where the dumps that once dominated our landscape (and our consciousness) are being carted away. Here the graders and tip trucks look like children's toys as they move about purposefully. Click here to read the full article...

by SHAUN DE WAAL

Green Zone opens with a sequence of American soldiers in a newly "liberated" Iraq rushing to a site said to house weapons of mass destruction or WMD, as we all call them now. Of course there are no weapons there, whether of mass or minor destruction. Click here to read the full article...

By Yashivan Govender

In a time when the world needs to be inspired, informed, refreshed and pushed. It is very difficult to find people who can bring these characteristics to the fore. As we seek high and low for champions of the planet, we find individuals who represent business, sport, politics, communities and even the environment, all lobbying and rallying for our attention. However it’s the ones that silently stand above the rest that grab our interest without a blink. It’s the ones that seek a purpose in what they do that not only inspire, inform, refresh and push the world but change it as well.

BISA’s contribution towards the upliftment of the youth through Education

The Bursary Institute of South Africa (BISA) aims to be a world class organization in the delivery of high quality, affordable bursaries to the youth of South Africa through our partnership tertiary institutions.  The Bursary Institute of South Africa’s vision is in the building of self sustained, self empowered individuals who are given the opportunity to reach their potential and tap into their passion in order to be productive, pro-active members of society within their families and communities.  We endeavour towards making a significant difference in the upliftment, transformation and development of the disadvantaged youth in South Africa through our internship and bursary education programme.

Part of the BISA vision is to offer an outstanding tertiary education selection of various colleges to our students, covering a wide selection of courses, diplomas or degrees and to provide them with the opportunity of attaining practical skills through internships within the workplace.  We aim, at all times, to provide excellent student support, develop and maintain loyal relationships and maintain the highest standard of customer service to our students, education and corporate partners.