Hello, everyone. I’m Roland Ogbue, a tech entrepreneur, web developer, programmer and founder of McRay Freelance and Tech Services and I’m still a certified dream chaser still fighting for my goals, hopes and aspirations in the ever-changing, ever evolving and unpredictable environment that is my country Nigeria. I was invited to this wonderful and helpful platform by my dear friend @blacktarri, and I am so grateful to be here while I learn and impact as I grow gradually.
Life often presents one with struggles and challenges some of which one is born into and others, one often encounters as he or she embarks on the journey of life. The struggles and strife help shape and form one’s understanding of life, the way it works and an individual’s perception of the ever-changing world.
Growing up in Port Harcourt, one of the vibrant and colourful cities in Nigeria, no doubt helped shape my personality and behavioural traits. It was there where I first caught the technology bug. And thus began my life changing hunger to become a successful web developer and coder. But as expected, the surrounds that had eagerly nursed me from infancy became my first limitation in the pursuit of my dreams and aspirations. Therefore, I was thus compelled to seek for a new and better surrounds, one that could provide the much needed fertile ground upon which my coding dreams could grow and mature to its full potential.
The decision, however, came down to two cities, Lagos and Abuja; the former already gradually establishing herself as a formidable tech hub of the young nation of Nigeria and the continent of Africa as a whole despite the fact that the continent is still yet to fully embrace technology and all its numerous benefits. The later city, Abuja, however won my heart due to its alluring beauty and serenity and mostly due to the lack of the negative and unwelcoming traits that were often associated with the hustle and bustle of the city of Eko (Lagos).
Leaving family and a place I called home wasn’t necessarily easy but it was a step I strongly believed had to be taken. And being the go-it-alone and lone wolf individual, (a trait that has admittedly been a source of strength and weakness at equal lengths), I had to begin an equally challenging and tumultuous task of seeking the funds to aid my permanent relocation to any state of residence to fully focus on my coding and tech career. Granted, I had made some savings from my school days but even that had taken a hit overtime as I greatly depended on it to sustain myself while I bought books, paid and registered for courses which I studied to gain some basic programming and coding knowledge to prepare me for the journey ahead. Then out of nowhere, tragedy struck, as my laptop crashed and all my life’s work and sweat was lost. It was indeed the stuff of nightmares.
I had failed to setup a backup portfolio or even a storage system for the numerous programming projects. I was effectively back to square one. All attempts to fix the laptop, restore or recover the lost files failed woefully. It was a deeply traumatizing ordeal which I couldn’t even wish upon an enemy. My tech journey was all but paused as I faced the harsh reality of life.
Days turned weeks and weeks to months, as I wallowed in depression unable to overcome the mental incapacitation I was pulled into. A new laptop was ordered for but even that took months to reach the shores of Nigeria due to delays in shipping and taxation issues on the shipping company’s part.
Will power is a trait everyone wishes to believe they are imbued with. Well, that is until they are faced with a challenge or a battle against forces beyond control or power. I learnt the hard way how difficult it can truly be trying to get back on your feet especially in a clime that almost seems determined to keep you down by any means necessary.
With a society and government that is totally insensitive to the desires and agitations of the youth by neither providing employment opportunities nor access to loans, one is left dejected and frustrated. And it somehow begins to make sense why so many abandoned their pursuit of their dreams. Cause there’s no room for that in a place such as this. But that is where the strong willed differ from the rest, they strive and push regardless of the forces they are up against. I guess this is where the Greek legend of Sisyphus comes to mind. He’s struggle of pushing a huge rock up a hill against the turbulent forces of nature and persevering even after the rock must have rolled back down the hill regardless of how far uphill he had gone greatly inspired and resonated with me.
I got some new found faith to push on, knowing full well that there still lay some more challenges up ahead but I took solace from the understanding that even if I were to eventually fail in my ambition for my career, I could boldly beat my chest knowing I had given it my best and not faltered in the face of the battle like so many others.
Having found so new motivation and drive, I dusted myself down and got back to work. At this point, I had taken over a year long break from coding and when my new laptop eventually arrived, I found myself struggling with some programming languages. I just had to go back to take the courses afresh. Funding was still an issue but I had decided it wasn’t going to be an obstacle any longer as I was ready to do whatever it would take, legally of course, to accomplish my goals.
I got in touch with some of my friends that were based in Abuja and informed them of my desires. They were surprisingly very welcoming and accommodating. And I instantly made up my mind to join them, as long as I would have a roof over my head, the rest wouldn’t be much of an issue to navigate, I thought. Of course, I knew this was a risky move but it was one I was very much willing and open to make. I packed my bags, sold one of my mobile devices to fund my transportation costs, waved goodbye to my family and city of Port Harcourt and left for Abuja.
It has been well over a year since I set my eyes on my lovely city of Port Harcourt, and yes, I have found myself missing the warmth of home but my focus is still firmly fixed on my goals and aspirations. There have been more challenges and obstacles along the way but they have all failed to knock me off my stride towards my dreams.
