On This Disruptive Journey — Meet Joshua

We did not plan for it; the same way no one plans to arrive cashless at the Lekki toll. There’s a lingering uncertainty around you before the deep-dive into your archive of solutions: are you about to alight and beg the driver behind you to foot your bill, or beg the grim-faced cashier to have mercy? You are certain of one thing though — you must get to that wedding reception.

It was like that when we decided to take in Joshua. First as an intern and then as a native. Alarms rang in our heads but alas, after our deep-dive, they transitioned into a melody — a sweet one that we hope will last forever.

His father came to make enquiries about Semicolon in September, and what started as an info-session turned into an interview. He mentioned he had a son; a 10-year-old who understands basic programming languages and can code. A light bulb went on in our heads and suddenly Mr Bayo became even more interesting. So we asked more questions:

• How so? — He piqued interest at a very young age.
• Who taught him? — Self-taught with guidance and a lot of support from his parents.
• Where did he learn? — Mostly in the comfort of his home with his laptop, through the internet.
• How long did it take? — A few years, here and there.

At his age, he has worked on a few projects; he helped build a few websites, a couple of them subject to launch. To say that we were and still are impressed is an understatement.

The average Nigerian parent has an incessant need to ensure that their wards go through the conventional education system. They must tread the right path, get employed and maybe spend a quarter of their lifetime earning a salary before embracing digitization and innovative training. And we understand — we truly do, because to them it’s safe, it’s the norm and they are a generation of digital migrants. However, it then begs the questions: how many Joshuas are out there, their potentials being overlooked or stifled by the status quo? How many parents — like Joshua’s — are willing to migrate and embrace evolution?

What about his school? Joshua’s parents patiently sought out a secondary school that is willing to recognize, accept and accommodate their son’s talent. They came to an agreement and made arrangements for him to go to school twice during the weekdays, then train with us on the remaining three.

How many schools in Nigeria are willing to be this flexible; that while their students learn basic Mathematics and English, they make provisions for them to catch up with evolution? Or maybe start by teaching actual Computer Science and not a watered-down version wherein students only take notes, learn to use Microsoft Word and are quizzed at the end of the term on how to boot a computer? Finding the value of x is yet to solve society’s major problems, it is only fair we prioritize the learning that does.

The decision to officially enrol Joshua into our 3rd cohort wasn’t instant. First, he spent 3 weeks as our intern under the guidance of one of our Software Engineering facilitators. He learnt and we observed. Because as much as the adrenaline pumped with full force through our veins, we hesitated — thinking of all the things that could go wrong. Will he miss his peers? Will being around older people erect a socialization barrier? Will he cope with our intensive curriculum? We worried that even though he has a brilliant mind, he is still young at heart.

We are aware of the implied duty for us to step out of our comfort zone, in pursuit of greatness. So, we came up with a schedule; a fine balance of us and them. It is not audacious of us to hope that we identify more Joshuas and play active roles in moulding their minds on this disruptive journey we’ve embarked upon. We remain passionate about identifying and guiding talented minds through innovative training and believe that age should not be a determining factor of this. Talent is everywhere.

Joshua has decided to work on developing a gaming app that teaches kids his age the fundamentals of coding. He’s also talking about helping disabled kids and is enthusiastic about making an impact through creative problem-solving in society.

Sometimes he runs the hallways in a pair of unlaced red sneakers and we worry he might fall and break something. But then, we remember the questions he asks in class. We remember the websites he has built, the projects he is working on. We remember he’s a 30-year-old mind in a 10-year-old body.

So, we pause and say “lace your sneakers little man.”

Then we continue — with that sweet melody still playing in our heads.