Why you don’t have to go to university to be successful

GILLIAN KLAWANSKY

Doron Gavronsky, the founder of Chef En Route, always knew his destiny lay in the culinary world. “I couldn’t get enough of the kitchen,” he says. “My mom’s an amazing cook as was her late mother. It was passed down through the generations.”

Now 27, the King David Linksfield alumnus took a step towards his dreams when he chose consumer studies as a matric subject. While he had the full backing of his family, not everyone supported his ambitions. “The more people told me to stay away from becoming a chef, the more I challenged myself and everyone around me. I wanted to prove to them that I wasn’t going to waste my talent.”

Diagnosed with dyslexia in high school, Gavronsky needed a scribe to help him complete his exams. In spite of this, he attained university exemption and applied to Vega, but ultimately decided against this path. “I didn’t feel I needed to go to university. I definitely wasn’t the type of person to sit and listen to long lectures. I wanted something more practical.”

Needing to work to support himself, Gavronsky applied to the Protea Hotel Group, and was accepted into the orientation trainee programme at the Fire & Ice Hotel in Melrose Arch. “After 11 months, I knew I wanted to further my chef career so I went to the Chef School for Food & Wine in Krugersdorp.” During his studies, he managed the kitchen at a kosher grill house.

Briefly leaving the kitchen, Gavronsky went to Israel, became a qualified fitness instructor, and then worked as a bodyguard back in South Africa, protecting Jewish community leaders.

In 2015, he embraced his first love, and opened Chef En Route, the first in-house private chef hiring service in the Jewish community. “A private chef comes to cook, serve, and entertain your guests,” he says. Chef En Route also accompanies clients on their travels, offering a full chef service to clients in South Africa and beyond. Putting clients first and building a bond with them is key to the business’ success.

Gavronsky advises students to do something that makes them happy. “Wake up in the morning wanting to succeed, don’t wake up already failing.”

Entrepreneur Carla Danker, 26, agrees. “I was 18 with braces when I started Pimp My Pup, the first mobile dog spa in the country,” she recalls. A 2019 Absa Jewish Achiever Award nominee, Danker was always passionate about animals. Although she’d earned an academic scholarship to Varsity College after matriculating from Crawford College Sandton, Danker soon realised that her destiny lay elsewhere.

“I went from a BCom to BA within a month, and I just didn’t fit the mould. I knew it wasn’t for me. I told my parents I had to work with animals and start something South Africa hadn’t seen before. Their support allowed me to follow another path.” She was also inspired by her entrepreneurial father.

Danker has qualifications in dog grooming and behaviour, welfare farming, and plant-based nutrition, but she’s never pursued a university degree. “While my family were extremely supportive, my school pushed all of us to go to university. Alternatives weren’t discussed. I feel like I was a laughing stock to some people, but it never affected me. I’ve never regretted my decision, and I wouldn’t go back and study. I’ve learnt so much, and I’ve become a much tougher person from running my own business. Having control over everything is a great feeling, I could never work for someone.”

After nine years, Danker recently sold Pimp My Pup. “I’d love to start a family and the business needs to grow, so I wanted fresh energy to take over. I’ve now started Plant Powered Patisserie, a vegan bakery. My deep connection with animals led to me going vegan three years ago. I had to start a business that would spread the vegan word and supply a cruelty-free, healthier, and delicious alternative.”

Coming from a creative family, Samantha Schaffer knew she wouldn’t follow a conventional path. Unsure of what career to pursue, she stumbled into makeup on a visit to cosmetics company, Kryolan. “There I picked up a pamphlet about a makeup and prosthetics course. That really excited me so I went for it.”

Upon completing the year-long course, Schaffer entered the entertainment industry, honing her makeup skills on soapie 7de Laan. “I met the right people, and ended up doing makeup on the sets of international films for more than seven years.” Mingling with the likes of Matt Damon and Drew Barrymore, Schaffer worked on movies including Invictus and Blended.

Ultimately, she grew tired of travelling and being away from her husband and family. So she found another calling, baking cakes. With only Cake Boss episodes and YouTube tutorials to guide her, she started a home-based bakery. “I made my own website, taught myself about Google adverts and my successful business, The Sweet Escape was born.”

Practice and consistency is key to success, she says. “You’ll always fail the first few times, but keep at it and eventually you’ll get there.”

Caryn Bachrach, an educational psychologist at King David High School Linksfield’s counselling department, says that while most students tend to study after school, it doesn’t always take the form of a university degree.

Bachrach says there’s no stigma attached to students who take a different road. “They’re usually supported by their parents and by the time they’re finishing matric, they’ve adjusted to the path they’ve chosen. We encourage kids to find their own way, supporting and guiding them in achieving their potential and making their own choices.”

Gita Lipschitz, a school counsellor and the head of educational support at King David High School Victory Park (KDVP), says that the school’s 100% university entrance rate suggests that most matriculants will go onto a higher learning institution, whether it be university or college. “There’s a desire as well as an expectation of most students to study something after school,” she says.

However, Lipschitz emphasises the entrepreneurial spirit at KDVP. “Some students run businesses while they’re still at school. Those who don’t study immediately may start or continue to run their own businesses as a route to their professional career.”

The desire to go to university is ingrained in kids from an early age, says Ariella Cohen, a registered counsellor offering career assessment. It’s generally seen as preferable by parents and kids. Yet there’s always another option. “These days, there are many successful people that haven’t gone to university. You can do a short course and start your own business before you’re 20, potentially becoming successful much earlier than those who pursue degrees.”