WATCH | Thandeka Jwara leaves established engineering career to follow childhood dream of medicine

At 35, Thandeka Jwara did what many people only dream about.

The qualified chemical engineer sold her Pietermaritzburg home, walked away from a successful career in water and sanitation, and enrolled as a full-time first-year medical student at Stellenbosch University.

For Jwara, who grew up in uMgababa on KwaZulu-Natal’s south coast, the decision was not about changing careers. It was about returning to a dream she had buried for years while helping to support her family.

“Being a doctor was always the only option for me,” she said.

Growing up as the eldest daughter in a household where her father, a breadwinner, battled epilepsy, diabetes and hypertension, Jwara quickly learnt that financial realities often shape career choices as much as passion does.

“I know firsthand what the health system is like in South Africa. It is overburdened and sometimes fails the very people it is meant to serve,” she said.

Her father was later diagnosed with colon cancer and died from the disease.

“His passing stayed with me. Had I been a doctor as I envisioned as a little girl, maybe I would have helped him somehow.”

Unable to pursue medicine because of funding constraints, family responsibilities, and limited access to career guidance, Jwara opted for chemical engineering, a qualification she believed would get her into the workplace faster and allow her to support her family.

“That is how I got into chemical engineering, and my dream was left behind,” she said.

The decision proved successful professionally. Jwara built a career at uMngeni-uThukela Water, earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering (cum laude) and later completed an MBA.

Yet despite her achievements, she felt something was missing.

“There is something about what you owe yourself or what you are passionate about,” she said.

“With all the accolades I had acquired over the years, there was still a gap in honouring myself, which was being in the medical space.”

The turning point came in late 2025.

Jwara had already secured a fully funded scholarship to pursue a master’s programme in governance and compliance in water management in the Netherlands. She sold her home and was preparing to relocate abroad when she submitted one final application to medical school.

“This was for me to have peace,” she said.

When the acceptance letter arrived, her plans changed overnight.

“When I was accepted, it was a no-brainer that I was going to do medicine.”

Her story reflects a growing trend of South Africans returning to the classroom or pursuing entirely new careers later in life.

Professor Alewyn Nel from the department of human resource management at the University of Pretoria said many adults are increasingly seeking careers that better align with their personal values, passions and long-term aspirations.

“In South Africa, significant drivers also include economic necessity, such as seeking better pay or job security in more stable industries like information technology and green energy,” Nel said.

He noted that many professionals are now making use of micro-credentials and short courses to gradually build new skills without committing to lengthy qualifications, adding that changing careers mid-life is rarely easy.

Nel warned that career changers often face financial uncertainty, age bias during recruitment, and the psychological challenge of becoming a beginner again after years of experience and professional status.

“Personally, people may also be balancing caregiving responsibilities, financial commitments and family obligations, which can make the transition emotionally demanding,” she said.

For Jwara, those challenges were worth it.

After years of pursuing success for everyone else, she believes she is finally pursuing something for herself.

“You can achieve all the qualifications in the world,” she said.

“But if you have not honoured who you truly are and what you have always wanted to become, there will always be a part of you that feels unfinished.”

Sowetan