Unsettling the typical
What if you could be part of something bigger than yourself? What if you were put in a space that allowed you to grow, redefine yourself, constantly self-evaluate and sharpen your skills? Would you allow yourself to get absorbed, to unlearn the ideals that meant everything to you growing up? Would you be ready for the change?
Growing up I was sucked into the African idea that all you needed to succeed was to get good grades that would land you a white-collar job in some prestigious field. I never really thought about building something or working towards becoming a creator or even an owner. I kept thinking to myself, “Why should I build something, when there are already so many successful companies that I can work for and earn myself some good money.” If you think about it, it would cost a fortune to build a company. I mean think about the resources needed, the trouble you’d have to go through finding VCs and getting your product out there only to find that the market isn’t receptive; depressing to say the least.
Like any other rational individual, I worked to become one of the best students that would see me land a good job after school, just as we had been socialized to. God knows I was prepared to calculate risks, premiums and come up with financial models to suit different companies and heck I probably would have been pretty good at it; a kickass actuary.
However, life doesn’t always go the way we imagine or plan. I took time applying for jobs in this industry, but no one seemed to think I was good enough; fair enough, but all we young people require is someone to give us the opportunity to learn in order to gain the much needed experience.
In the process of figuring out what I was going to do with myself, I stumbled upon Impact Africa Network, a unique Innovation Fellowship program on a mission to ensure young Africans have a chance at participating in the digital transformation of Africa as creators and owners . Envision a space where you’re allowed to develop solutions from scratch, and you get empowered by mentors and a rigorous learning program; think of it as getting paid to learn.
At first, I had no idea what it was about or if I even wanted to be part of the team. It is a tech-driven company, and I am more into insurance. I didn’t think I’d fit in. But they took a chance on me and allowed me to take part in a fintech project (something I am still figuring out together with a collaborative team of brilliant minds).
I can not tell you how many times I have felt lost and wasn’t sure about what I was doing or even why they thought I was the right person for the job, but here I am, building confidence as we move.
Two months down the line now, and I have learnt more than I ever did in all my school life. I wake up every day, facing a new challenge that needs to be handled.
It can be uncomfortable sometimes but as the day comes to an end and I’ve achieved the littlest thing, I feel fulfilled. I am learning by doing and constantly putting myself in the right spaces and learning to say yes to a lot of things.
“You can only join the dots in hindsight.”
~Steve Jobs
I now can make sense of this brilliant quote. You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in the future.
I am grateful for this opportunity, and I may not know what the future holds but I’m sure there’s more for me tomorrow than there was today. The deal is to constantly allow myself to learn and become the best version of myself.
