The aim of occupational therapy is to help people overcome functional difficulties resulting from health-related problems and to develop their abilities, so that they may be independent and effective at home, at work and during their leisure time. This is a four-year degree. You will work with people of all ages whose lives have been complicated by sickness, trauma and developmental delay and who are struggling to cope with and adapt to their circumstances or their environment. You may help them in their homes or in their places of work, as well as in clinics, schools and hospitals, or you may work in a private practice. There are also opportunities in non-clinical settings where you can work for corporations and innovate new technologies and/or do sales, training and research. When you obtain this degree, and after completing a year’s community service, you will be allowed by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) to practise as an occupational therapist independently.