Why I am learning programming and trust me it’s worth it all.
Learning to program teaches us persistence, how to solve problems and helps our minds to think critically and creatively and well I don’t want to be left out on this beautiful adventure. I borrowed a leaf from Steve Jobs quote “Everybody in this world should learn how to program a computer because it teaches us how to think” when you learn to computer program, You start seeing problems in the light of solutions. Your brains start functioning like that, when you encounter a problem after learning to program, you start to envisioning the possible ways to solve it. These are my reasons why am learning programming :-
Solve problems around me in our communities and world’s problems.
We have many and a lot of problems around us that needs to be addressed and I want to be part of this life changing cause in our communities. I will give a senerio from my personal experience, while I was still working as an IT consultant at 3 com limited last year we merged with serefaco Co. Limited in Nakasero and other partners from India to work on multi-billion contract “Supply, installation, training and commissioning of a customized integrated hospital management system (IHMS) for Mulago National referral hospital, Kiruddu and Kawempe hospitals” from the ministry of health and government of Uganda. We bid with other competitors and managed to meet all the requirements including $24000 as bid security and out competed all others. We started to work on the project like visiting sites and other procedures waiting to sign the contract in 2 weeks time. Everything was going on well until our partners from India backed down on the last minute Oohhh my my my......... Jesus is Lord!!!! We didn’t see this coming and honestly I don’t think I will live long enough to tell this story. For crying out loud this was the deal that was going to change our lives for good and for the better and within no time it slipped in our hands within a blink of an eye. I was among the technical team and to tell you the truth, at this point our hand were tied we had no way through. There was no way we were going to sign this contract without our suppliers. And with in that shortest time we aren’t going to get other partners. You well understand that those big big companies who are capable of suppling a system like that are very professional and can’t agree to a contract to be worked on for 2 weeks time they don’t like to work under pressure . Where on earth were we going to get other partners from??? nowhere. Yes we tried to get other partners but every try we met the dead-end we even tried convincing them that we would pay the bid security(which was a big mistake but still we took the risk), it was the same story they all refused. We had no choice but to give up on that contract. I was so devastated and honestly I never thought I would ever recover from that trauma I went through after loosing that contract, we lost billions and billions of money within a blink of an eye, It felt like I was losing part of me, I even fell into a depression few weeks after that loss. You can imagine we/I went through all that just because we Ugandans we are incapable of designing a system like that. And even if we were (that was part of requirement to have partners from abroad as suppliers) am now learning programming because I need to address problems like that in our communities without running for refugee from India or USA. You can imagine everything on this job depended on Indians, Eiiishh Africans we have suffered.........Well enough is enough I don’t want to go through what I went through before, am not afraid to go where others haven’t and I want to silence all the doubts(about us Africans and more so women of what we are capable of or not) with Excellence. Am very sure I will get there I know it’s not going to happen overnight, it’s going to be a long hard way ride the good news is am ready for this. At first I never thought I could do something like this but now am very sure and very confident about this.
Self Improvement
I really want to improve myself through learning programming. Am kind of a person who likes to challenge myself and people around me, I love and enjoy working on projects that push me out of my comfort zone, they make me think, learn the hardway and grow. And am very sure am not wrong about programming it will take me there.
Career advancement and development
I studied IT at the University and I really enjoyed and loved it so much. When I left campus I started working in the IT field and let me tell you an IT career is really a hot cake out there. I was enjoying my line of work but it started becoming very boring with time. Waking up every morning and you have to do the same thing over and over again it was really boring because I could sketch what I would do during day...... And that’s that no more no less. I just got tired of this. I sat down one morning and wondered
- I am going to do this boring staff for the rest of my life
-Is life really about earning the little money that I did earn and meet the deadline only??
-Is life about meeting the targets and please your boss just like that?
So many questions run through my mind and I realised it was about time I changed my life to something that’s more fulfilling. I have always wanted to advance my career but I didn’t know how and where to start from so I decided to attend a conference and Mr. Micheal Niyitegeka ICDL Africa country manager for Uganda was among the guest speakers. Wow this man changed my life for good. Mr. Micheal shared with us on how he’s has never been any class to study anything to do with technology but now look at where he is now. He mentioned it was all about passion for technology that drove him to where he is now, he uses internet and reads alot about technology that gave me courage to do something with my life, if someone who never stepped in any class to learn about technology could do that,what about me?? I realised I was capable of so many things and I didn’t want to waste any more single minute. He shared these remarks with us
-life is about choice
-The world owes me nothing, I owe it everything
-Be digitally competent (use the opportunities of digital forum
-It is all up to me (define yourself)
Wow this was very touching and inspiring, all these remarks sunk in my small head and I left that conference a changed person and was so determined to define my life and take my career to the next level no matter what. Guess what before I could even leave the premises where the conference was held, I bumped into my old friend Daniel. We were all surprised to see each each after a very long time we greeted and because it was really getting late, was rushing home we didn’t have the time to sit down and chat, he offered to give me a push to the taxi stop and on the way sparked off a conversation as expected , he asked me what was going on in my life well I told him and I asked him the same. That’s when he introduced me to Andela and he encouraged me to apply for the fellowship. Oh my….. it was as if this was destined to happen this Adela opportunity came at the right and perfect time. I applied and here I am pursuing this to advance my career.
Learning programming is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time and this is the best choice I have ever made in my life. I couldn’t be happier and proud of myself than this. Waking up every morning knowing you’re going to solve your problems and other peoples problems around you and knowing your hands are not tied anymore or solutions to your problem don’t depend on other people , where you have to meet new people, new challenges that test your mind, learning and growing everyday…….it is so fulfilling. I couldn’t ask for more. Thank you Andela Uganda for this wondering opportunity. I swear this adventure is all worth it
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