I quit twice, never again. Pt 3.
...documenting my journey into becoming a Software Engineering trainee at Alx Africa.
(Continued)
It's my second time quitting. However, I didn't give up on everything - I decided to learn more about marketing. I thought to myself, "Maybe you're not suited to tech and programming. You just need to focus on one thing and scale." It wasn't easy making that decision - I felt I hadn't tried hard enough. My effort wasn't enough, I wasn't serious and I was distracted. The idea of quitting doesn't feel good because I felt like time was passing me by without me doing anything meaningful.
It is still my deepest ambition to become a highly qualified and competent software engineer. My goals are to explore the blockchain space, build amazing stuff, meet great people, work in legendary companies, and travel the world, and cater for my family. It is important to me to be someone who never quits when times are tough. I want to deserve every single thing I get. The thought of quitting makes me feel like I wasn't wired for such greatness. Like I'm too soft to break out of this latent valley of potential.
For me to become the kind of person I aspire to be, I must invest a great deal of time, energy, focus, and consistency. My curiosity must be piqued. It must be built from scratch. I have to do it every day, even on days when I don't feel like it. Having come from nothing, I have to become someone. I must work hard. I have no choice.
The whole time I was building my digital marketing brand, I kept in mind that if I ever got into coding again, I would never stop. That anything I can do to make this dream a reality - my reality - will be done. I will put myself in a position where quitting would be difficult. Maybe I will get a job to keep myself afloat. But I will remain consistent and I will succeed. Often, I've seen people come from nothing, keep their eyes on one thing until it became theirs. Those are the kinds of people I want to be. It turns my stomach to quit, so why not succeed instead?
Last week, I found a tweet that said, if you want to get into software engineering, sign up on Alx Africa now. As soon as I saw the link, I checked what it was about. This is it. A free, intensive and dedicated learning model that required 70 hours a week for a year. There are no boring tutorials, you have to learn everything yourself. I told myself immediately if I am accepted, it would be my last chance. It sounds like this program will test me to my limit, which is exactly what I need. To be tested again.
The next day, I received an acceptance letter from Alx. Free of charge. This will certainly be a challenge, but it will also be my last chance at becoming a software engineer.
It is time for me to do it differently, to set myself up to never ever give up. I'm back in Lagos now. There are two reasons for this. The first is for me to have 24 hour electricity at my Aunt's and the second is for me to obtain a remote job to cover my living expenses.
My cohort will begin the programme on Monday, 15th August. I have created a time-table to help me manage my time. To stay active and productive during work, I have set up a mini workspace and have taken a few job interviews. I hope to hear back from them next week.
I also plan to document my growth and learning, as well as help anyone out there who may be in a similar situation now or in the future. Due to the program's demands, I will only document once every Sunday during the first month.
There is no doubt that this will be a wonderful journey. This is something I believe in and am ready to face.
It will not be without trials and tribulations though.
But no, I won't quit.
Till next Sunday ❤️