Planning doesn't guarantee success. Over the years, I have come to realise that life favouring you and things going as planned have nothing to do with how carefully you have them planned out; life favours who it chooses to favour and has absolutely nothing to do with how carefully or how well you plan. Sometimes you can give your all, prepare like your life depends on it, and still fail, but then you sit and watch those who put in just the bare minimum effort, with preparation not even up to half of yours, succeed in the same thing you gave everything for.
There are times when I don't even see the need for putting in so much effort because you can put that all in and still watch all your plans and efforts trashed like they are nothing. Sometimes I see no need in having a plan when life will just go completely contrary to your plan. Things going as planned have nothing to do with how well you planned or how carefully you planned. As kids, we all had plans and dreams for our lives when we became adults, but many of those plans have been tampered with.
"When I get to college, I will study civil engineering and become a civil engineer in the future," I said to Emmanuel during one of our conversations in high school.
"I also want to study architecture and draw house plans since I enjoy doing that and have a passion for it," Emmanuel also said.
"That means our bond will eventually become unbreakable because an architect needs a civil engineer as much as a house needs a door," I responded as we shook hands and tapped each other's shoulders, and our faces beamed with smiles.
We rounded up high school, and now it was time to further pursue those dreams we had as kids and try to make them a reality, and that was when we realised how hard it was for things to go as planned and how hard it was to make a dream become a reality. A year after graduating from high school, I applied for civil engineering at two different colleges, but neither offered me admission. There was no response or reason as to why I was not offered admission; I was just left in the dark with my ego completely crushed.
Emmanuel, on the other hand, was also trying to gain admission into college and study his dream course. He also applied to two different colleges, but one offered him admission into his dream course. We all celebrated, and he started college while I was still at home, still trying to take my first step towards making my dream come true.
A year later, Emmanuel came home for the holidays but did not really look happy, and I knew something was bothering him.
"What is the problem? You don't seem happy," I asked as I tapped his shoulder.
"Bro, I cannot even explain how I feel, bro," Emmanuel responded as he used both palms to rub his face down to his chin.
"Go on, I am all ears. Let's hear it," I urged him to talk.
"Bro, one year down the line, and I am just finding out that architecture is not accredited at my school, and there are many people who have graduated from my department but have not been able to make any progress because the course was not accredited by the National University Commission (NUC). They have all been hanging around, hoping that soon it will be accredited," Emmanuel said as he buried himself in his chair.
"Obooyyy!" I exclaimed. "This is big, man. What is now the plan? Because it will not make sense to wait until you start hanging around like some of your senior colleagues," I advised.
"Yeah, I have told my dad about it, and he is also not happy about it. I will not continue," Emmanuel responded.
"If you won't, then what will you do?" I asked.
"I already told my dad I cannot undergo the stress of applying for college again; I am enlisting in the army," Emmanuel answered.
A few months later, he enlisted in the army and is currently serving in the military. A few months after that, I was finally offered admission but was given a completely different course from what I applied for. I applied for civil engineering but was given agricultural and bioresources engineering instead.
"Just accept the course so you can move forward because all of our mates are already in school unless you want to stay home for another year," Emmanuel advised after I told him about it.
"This is really not the life or the course I dreamt of," I said with so much pain in my heart.
"Our lives took a detour to a route we never even saw coming, but what can we do other than accept what life has offered us?" Emmanuel responded, trying to cheer me up.
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