This is the Indiaunited weekly contest #5. Your best childhood memory. @indiaunited/indiaunited-weekly-contest-5-theme-your-best-childhood-memory-and-winner-announcement-of-previous-contest
There are many childhood memories, pleasant and unpleasant, but there is a particular experience I had around the very late childhood stage of my life, which remained with me since that time. And it's part of what helped my transition into adulthood.
I'd like to begin with Charles Darwin's theories of Adaptability and Winston Churchill's theory of determination.
According to Charles Darwin, "Children are quick learners and can adapt rapidly to new situations."
Also, Winston Churchill said, "Children are often driven by a strong desire to prove themselves and make their mark."
In my late childhood stage, I had the opportunity to participate in a program alongside many young adults, and to my surprise, I emerged the best. This was a defining moment in my childhood, teaching me valuable lessons about determination, hard work, and the power of believing in oneself.
It all began after my secondary education. I had quite a fast education and graduated from Secondary School at the age of 15.
Normally in Nigeria, after your Secondary Education, you take a JAMB examination for qualification into a University. Then, the result was usually delayed and not as fast as it is now, it used to be a pen-on-paper exam.
While I was waiting for my result, I got tired of sleeping and waking up voluntarily, so I thought of changing environment and going to meet my brother who was already in the university pending the time my JAMB result would be out. Even when I got there, I continued sleeping and waking up, and I felt I needed to do something productive.
Then, the awareness of ICT was not something popular in the country, and then, I knew that's where the world was going. Even though technology was just growing in the country. That was the days of the cathode ray tube monitors.
I spoke with my parents and they enrolled me in a Certification Program in Desktop publishing at a Computer College. It was in a town where a university was domiciled, and all the students in the College were computer science undergraduates who needed practical knowledge of what they were being taught in school. Nigerian Universities focus more on Theories than practicals.
I vividly remember the feeling of being surrounded by young adults, undergraduates who are more generally experienced and have a theoretical knowledge of the same thing we enrolled for. I felt intimidated at first and I wasn't sure I belonged. However, as the program progressed, I realized age was just a number, and my enthusiasm and eagerness to learn could take me far.
Competing with people has never been my thing, but failure is never an option for me. The only thing I was doing at that moment was that program and with each challenge, I pushed myself and strived for excellence. I would even stay after the closing hours and remain on the computers till very late in the evening, sometimes at night.
Asides from Computer training, the College also run an ICT consultancy firm, and run a lot of businesses, most times after training hours, I stay back and help with many tasks for free, and while doing this I became perfect in many things even outside what I enrolled for, I was good in desktop publishing, database management, had a little knowledge of programming and hardware engineering.
All my exams seemed like kindergarten exams to me, I've never felt so comfortable writing an exam, was just as if I needed something harder. I remember one of the practical exams (Typing Skills), Akolad, the name they called the lecturer then, knew I was exceptional in typing, So, he purposely gave me a terrible keyboard, very hard to press, just to slow me down. I complained about the keyboard, and he smiled and told me that it was the only one available, but he was surprised i completed my task even before any other student.
On the prize-giving day, I was announced as the best in all the courses and also the overall best likewise I was the only student of that set who graduated with a distinction. In the end, I felt my efforts paid off. The achievement was not just about winning, it was about the sense of pride, confidence determination, and commitment that came with it.
And now I remember the words of Tony Robbins who said "Children often bring boundless energy and enthusiasm, which can propel them forward. That was just the energy in me then.
This childhood experience has stayed with me to this day, shaping my approach to life's challenges and inspiring me to keep pushing beyond my limits.