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KNOW WHAT YOU WANT! My Story.

Mercy Ijiogbor Written by Mercy Ijiogbor · 2 min read >

Growing up as a child was a wonderful experience. There were lots of learnings, disciplines, challenges but in all, I came out stronger and better. Life is a choice and we become the choices we make over time. Growing up, I had everything I needed but not necessarily everything I wanted because my parents ‘were in charge’ and they felt, it was in my best interest to be deprived of some of those benefits. Two of the remarkable lessons they thought me was that “I can be whatever I want to be” and “I will only be remembered in the sand of time by the value I place in the lives of those I am privileged to impact while on earth”. These words are my drive!

            In life, I’ve had to make choices on several occasions and the hardest of all, was in my having to decide on a career path. As a young champ, I was pressed between two opinions, which were either to study medicine (my parent’s preference) or to study electrical engineering.

  • My medical journey:

In a bid to study medicine, I kept on applying to schools here in Nigeria but never got a positive response, wrote several JAMB ( JOINT ADMISSIONS AND MATRICULATION BOARD) exams, bought some medical books in a bid to keep myself abreast of facts but still, no admission. After my third JAMB, I had to call myself to order (smiles…) and I decided to make a U-turn and really be what I want to be, in fact, “who medicine help”?

  • The new path, ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING:

Having decided on my career path, I then began to make research, asked questions and watched videos online in a bid to prepare myself for what was ahead. My decision didn’t go well with my parent because they felt my having to change my mind on what to study, was as a result of frustration from being denied admission from Nigerian universities (smiles…). Sincerely, I just wanted to do the unusual and to explore a space that is mostly dominated by the male gender and make a difference. I told myself, ‘If it’s electrical engineering, then I mustn’t study engineering like every other person but push myself to be excellent in my field’. Upon my first application to the university, I was offered admission. This was indeed a good sign for me, after all, ‘who medicine help?’…lol

            My journey through the university was not without challenges. I had to learn new things, studied bulky textbooks and materials, watched videos and the likes, in a bid to achieve my goal, which was to graduate with a first-class degree and to leave a mark in my faculty and the school at large. This was the BIG PICTURE. At the end of it all, the goal was achieved and it was more than fulfilling for me. My Joy wasn’t just hinged on the fact that I made a first-class degree but, it was in my being able to prove my parents that, “Indeed, I can be anything I want to be, if only I put in the effort required”. Here I am today, a fulfilled Electrical Engineer. So, here is my words for you, dear reader:

  • Know what you want! Don’t live your life to chances.
  • You can be anything you want to be, if only you are willing to put in the efforts required.
  • Keep on pushing, never stop!
  • Defeat can be turned around to opportunity, if only you can see it.
  • Be original, BE YOU!

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