One Love.

And in there lies the substance of this post. Often times, as individuals, we come to a crossroad in our lives where we are forced or led by any out of many possible factors to appraise… take stock… assess – the journey so far.

Over the next few days penultimate to my suspension of this bout of internship at Alteq.ict, I will look into the lessons learned over the past few months with a view to isolating the strands of increase or growth during this period.

I desire to look back on the past few months and through the plethora of inconveniences, challenges, met and unmet deadlines, 2 piece suits and skipped or horrid meals, among many other experiences (MANY!); not to find a reason to smile… infact my skinny cheeks are extended to the maximum and my brows are constricted in a gleeful grin, A few less facial muscles and i’d be a smiley for the rest of my life. But to find the drive and motivation to conclude the last Act of the play I have been acting out for the past 5 years in the university, and to finish the last act of my repertoire on that stage in the most deft and skilled manner, worthy of the gentleman and professional I dream and believe I am becoming.

Ready the curtains!

For instance, the basic challenge of an engineer is in solving problems using technologies… often physical technologies, lemme be very exact…

engineering is the applied science of acquiring and applying knowledge to design, analysis, and/or construction works for practical purposes. that is from wikipedia, and is a more broad definition. It gives u an idea of the sort of skills that an engineer is supposed to have.

Whether the interest is inanimate systems or business systems, it is thesame analytical skills that are typically applied in |solving problems|.

I have come to see that combining these abilities, as have been cultivated from my degree in engineering, with a knack for business systems and corporate strategy, I can find fulfillment in the world of technical or technology consulting.

the next question then will be, what does it take to be aptly qualified for such a career.

1.Specific expertise in a given technical field. This is the foundation from which a career in consulting can sprout. This is because, consultants are supposed to do more than look handsome and smart in their flashy suits, no reference to me here, but are also expected to thoroughly master their field. In fact, from the ideal sense of the word consultant, i’d define it as someone who is so good in his field he thinks to himself, why give it to one company when i can hawk my services to the highest bidder, continuously?

2.Thorough knowledge of implementation skills as may be gotten from courses in Project Management and similar techniques and strategy.

3. Leadership abilities and charisma. Consultants are go getters. Agents of change and instruments through which achievement is achieved and measured. To effectively provide services in consultancy, you must first be able to cut the picture of someone who is knowledge. ALot of times, the emphasis is placed on talking the talk rather than walking the walk, which is why lacking interpersonal skills and other non-intellectual properties are great wedges in the paths of the more geeky professionals.\

I am generally talking alot of barb right now, but maybe the reason why i like the thought of a career in technical consulting is because of the highly flexible lifestyle, the appeal of seeing quick results from your endeavors and the fulfillment that comes from working with the Gods favorite creatures: humans. DId i mention that with the right set of skills you can practically set your own salary? how cool is that?

I have been absent from commenting on my blog, but there has been quite alot happening. For starters, I have been involved with repairing olpcs.

One of the projects that y company is involved in is in deploying $100 dollar laptops developed by Nicholas Negroponte in primary institutions around the country. For more on this project check…

www.laptop.org

www.tomidavies.com

and search wikipedia for an entire site dedicated to olpc (one laptop per child).

below are pictures for proof.

The past few weeks have bin a lil slow in the office for me. However, one thing that i came to notice very strongly is the actual difficulty of working in a group. REALLY working in a group, not the arrangements that we tend to get used to from the sort of orientation with which group projects are carried out in higher institutions in this country.

I have come to discover that it is easier to work alone. Honestly, it is, because with a single set or at best a double set of opinions to deal with, you are bound to gravitate to a compromise much quicker and with less dissipated emotional energies.

However, it is probably better to work in a group. It is about mutual respect and balance of ideas. But one thing that strikes me is that, if you really want to save the world or do something extraordinary. You gotta figure it all out on your own and understand your vision before you drag other people into the picture.

However, I am happy because I have been able to understand some of the dynamics of working with people and presenting your opinions in compelling (or intimidating) ways.

More on that later on…

Personal issues, office issues, everything generally. And since i can speak generally on everything and specifically on nothing! so i will try to summarise the feeling and speak on the outcome of whatever it is i went through.

by the way, Who moved my cheese is a great book.

Well, things in this life get tough, changes come and not all of them come with smiles and huggies. And sometimes, we feel soooooo down and depressed, and fairly too.

While struggling to deal with change, the thing that is most disconcerting is that change messes with the armour that we as humans create around ourselves. (See cognitive dissonance). It is also because we tend to sorround ourselves with people and activities that affirm our person and persona. This is why it sucks to get hit in the jaw by reality. The world does not revolve around your butt!

I just got called to go do some tech support for a colleague, so i wrap it up with words that wrapped up all my feelings and my new outlook.

1. that which dont kill me, can only make me stronger

2. when you feel living is way harder than dying, to me giving up is way harder than trying!

thanks to kanye west for the quotes.

Stay tuned for more posts. Peace.