Adaptability on the fly
Change is the only constant thing in life. Whether it is positive or negative, one needs to be able to deal with it and move on. Being adaptable simply means that one is able to effectively respond to changes by recalculating the best way forward.
Let me paint a scenario here, a young African man had a dream of being a software engineer and decided not to let it fade away. He worked hard in school and was admitted to a public university in his country to pursue a bachelors degree in Information Technology. He worked hard in the university and scored top grades as well, then came graduation day and he passed with honors. He was now ready to meet the world as an academically qualified software engineer. That young man was I.
Given all the IT and software companies in my country, the only place that offered the kind of experience I needed was Andela. So I applied to the Andela fellowship. For a period of four years, I will learn what it takes to be a world-class software engineer and an astute leader.
The confidence I had in my education was challenged the moment I took the home study assessment. My ability to understand core computer science concepts and not just memorize was on trial. I went through the home study curriculum keenly to ensure complete absorption of the concepts. It was a new way of learning. Learning to understand and not just to pass a test.
I went through the interview process and the pre-boot camp workshops and made it to boot camp week one. Deadlines had to be met and daily output communicated. The fact that I was a person who was rarely active on social media pulled me out of my comfort zone. To worsen the matter, I lived in a house in which the cell signal was very weak, this presented a fresh challenge. I had to ride a bus to Andela offices for the first day, and to a nearby university for the rest of the days just to ensure a stable internet connection.
Week one was completed successfully. On the last day of that week , just as I was about to have a good night rest after a week of sleep deprivation, my laptop had an issue, the hardware fan malfunctioned. After minor repairs, the fun was once again functional. Unfortunately, in the process of repairing, I broke some parts. This set me back very many hours of code since week two caught up with me on a broken laptop.
When the first day of the second week came, I pulled up my socks and tightened my bootstraps, continued where I left with a borrowed laptop. These events caused me to recalculate my plans to accommodate the new changes. As I moved forward, I knew that my journey wasn’t getting easier, I set my mind to be prepared for the unforeseen.
This story is just one in a million of how dynamic life can be. The changes and challenges faced in life can shape or break a person, it all depends on how malleable one is. That is the most important lesson that I’ve learned in the process.