Transcriber: Ning Yan Reviewer: Abe Felisa
We joined university under different circumstances,
hoping that we can make the most out of it and build our futures.
While some are influenced
by their parents, by financial status, and society
to enroll for courses that would otherwise not enroll for,
others join courses that they are very passionate about.
And if they are lucky to get a full scholarship, even better.
I joined university at the age of 18 and full scholarship
for a course that I had worked so hard to join,
which is Bachelor of Architecture.
There was no way I wasn’t going to become an architect.
That was the one thing I was very certain about.
I recently turned 24 and guess what?
I am currently completing my bachelor’s degree in computer science
and I’m also a fitness entrepreneur.
Or rather what we millennials from these days, a fitpreneur.
And I must say, it has been one heck of a journey.
See, when I was four years old, I wanted to be a princess.
I imagined that I would bump into a prince and make eye contact,
fall in love, and live happily ever after.
At five, I wanted to be the president of the United States of America.
Now, I hadn't yet grasped the concept of countries by then,
so I assumed that we’re all the United States.
And so as president, I’ve been positioned to help everyone.
Between six and eight, I wanted to be a ‘doclot’,
a doctor and a pilot.
My intention was to treat the sick and then fly them up in the sky,
to be as peaceful as the birds,
hoping that their pain and worries would go away
and then they would magically get healed.
At nine, nine and 10 there, it’s when I wanted to be a civil engineer.
I was fascinated by the differences in each home,
and I used to pressure my mom to take me visiting
just so that when I became an engineer,
I reconstruct our house and add stairs
because I want to be as far away from my brothers as possible.
But then around that time,
there was news of buildings collapsing.
And it was the engineers in question.
So I read that as a sign from the universe telling me to
made a mess with the engineering plans.
But then I could not ignore my growing interest for buildings.
And that’s when I discovered the world of architecture.
And I embarked on a journey to become the next Frank Lloyd Wright
and then I did.
And so for 10 years, I lived and breathed architecture.
I worked so hard to get into art school and full scholarship,
but little did I know that the future had other plans for me.
See, what started as a great and direct path for me
turned crooked.
I started to doubt the fact that I’d chosen for myself
and began to entertain the idea of an alternative path.
So it was the first semester of my second year doing architecture,
and we were given this assignment to study a structure
that connects to live within a building.
Guess what I studied?
Stairs.
I moved around the university for an interesting staircase in one of
the old buildings and decided to analyze it.
I took sketches, I took measurements, and pictures among other assessments.
And then came the time to put all that information together
on a piece of paper in preparation for my presentation the next day.
So there I was, as usual,
doing an all nighter and getting frustrated and wondering [in Swahili],
which is the Uganda phrase that loosely translates to
what am I stressing myself out for?
And it was in that moment that I began to picture myself without architecture.
I mean, that idea had come to my mind a few times before
but this was the time that is actively considering it.
I just can’t picture myself as an architect in the next few years.
And it is in such moments that what you thought you knew
becomes unknown.
Your future becomes so uncertain by the minute.
You start to question your existence,
you start to doubt yourself
and you try to find fault in the education system.
Fear, fear overwhelms you
because you just do not see the way forward
and it feels like you’re stuck in moving time.
And to make matters worse is the stigma you get from traditional society.
You feel like a failure just from the mere thought
of changing from what is considered one of the best courses.
In fact, I pictured myself a laughing stock,
especially after being told on numerous occasions that
I would not go far with architecture
simply because it was regarded very difficult.
I didn’t even want to imagine the disappointment of my family,
especially after all those years of praising architecture.
So I had two options that night.
To change or to continue?
My back was up against the wall because I knew that architecture was it for me.
But then again, it had affected so many areas of my life that
I just was not willing to let go had they known.
I also had to forgo so many opportunities just so I could devote my time
and attention to architecture.
And then I remembered this quote by Neil Peart says,
“If you choose not to decide, you have still made a choice.”
And so I concluded that a rational decision based on research
and experiences as opposed to impulses and what ifs
was the best course of action.
And to balance the two options,
I decided to continue pursuing architecture while exploring
the possibility of a change.
So I used my second year of architecture while I were still studying
to figure out what I wanted to do with my life after that one year.
And besides, what was one more year of architecture
against the rest of my life.
And also, at the very least,
I get to find out if I really wanted to continue pursuing architecture.
So for me, the time frame was more or less I had.
It could be different for you.
It could be more, it could be less.
But the point here is to explore, at the very least,
the possibility of a change.
And here’s how you can go about it.
First, list down your options.
What else are you passionate about?
What experiences have you been through that made an impact on your life
or made you second guess your current career path?
Could that be a possible future?
How do you feel about that?
When I was completing my high school,
I took part in an all girls competition that required us to create
a mobile application to solve problems in our community.
My team won first place in Uganda and came in fourth place in Africa.
But only one of us could travel to San Francisco
to attend the final pitch events for a week.
And guess who that was?
You go.
And that’s total experience changed my life.
And so doing something in technology was something
I was considering besides other construction fields.
And those were my options.
The second thing to do is to research those options and then select one.
At this point, try to figure out what the pros and cons of each are.
What are you able or willing to live with?
Third,
compare your selected option with your current career path.
What makes more sense?
What are you more enthusiastic about?
Try to create a bigger picture here.
Which of the two duteous of pursuing in the next few years?
And most importantly, what do you have to gain and what do you have to lose.
If need be attend events related to both options.
This will help you find out what you’re more excited for.
It is unfortunate for me that I didn’t get to attend
any architecture events before I even joined architecture
so I never even met an architect to get to have a feel
of what art school was really like.
So when I got into art school and attended these events,
my interests just kept on lowering by every event.
And I tried to picture myself attending these events for the next few years
and that feeling just did not sit well with me.
But when it came to tech events, I was very excited.
And in fact I was very active. I don’t know if it’s because of
the free stickers and the free shirts that they give at the events,
but all I know is I could picture myself in such a space for the next three years.
The last thing to do is to talk to someone.
Get a second opinion on your choice.
This could be someone who has been through the same experience
or it could be a professional or it could be a friend or family member,
or it could be a therapist.
Now as skeptical about going to one,
but those sessions help me in more ways than I can compare.
So at this point if you feel like you want to continue with your current career path,
well, at least you would have reinforced your confidence in that path.
But if you decide to change,
the next step is to talk to your parents or your guardians.
Having the support of your family is very important,
especially if a financial input is required.
And get this: approaching an African parent when you’re very prepared
and confident will gain your favor.
Showing that you made mature decisions to come to this conclusion
will definitely soften the ground.
And besides, it’s hard to ignore
someone speaking from a passionate point of view.
If you can even throw in some study options in there.
For me, joining computer assessment,
I had to forgo my full government scholarship for architecture.
And so I had to find an institution that was offering me
the best advantage in the field.
I applied, I got in, presented my admission letter
and now the rest is history.
I got to start a developer student club at Makarere University,
I have spoken at multiple tech events, I have traveled to many countries,
met many new people. I started a blog, I became a coach,
I even got to focus on my hobbies.
And then I developed and discovered my love for fitness.
And now I am growing an African fitness company called African Fit.
Now, I don't know about you,
but I believe that all this would have been impossible had I made
an irrational decision that night.
Did I know this would be the outcome?
No.
Was I one hundred percent confident that I wouldn’t fail?
No.
But I gave possibility a chance despite all my fears.
And I’m here to tell you that it is okay to change career path
or to reignite your passion for your current career path.
It’s okay to feel uncomfortable with change.
It’s okay to discover where your passions lay.
It’s okay to want something better for yourself.
It’s okay to do something out of the norm.
It’s okay to do you.
Thank you.