Mar 24, 2021
The Biggest Room
Ever read through the Forbes 30 under 30 lists released every year? You’ll be tempted to think everyone should strive to make that list. But what if you’re already well above 30? I mean like 35 or even 40+ years. Does that make you a loser? You only become a loser when you fail to keep improving on yourself. The biggest room in this world is self-improvement. How many people now make light of this simple yet profound statement?
I’m already building a family I call my own. Having graduated from school with a good grade, I can’t say I have been employed in any company for up to two years. By the way, I’ve only worked full-time in just a company since graduation, and that didn’t last up to a year.
From one freelance job to another. I‘ve been honing my digital marketing skills and working as a content creator in a few of the freelance opportunities I’ve had to endure. In fact, as recent as this month, I interviewed with a Crypto Media company based in Victoria Island here in Lagos to be writing up to five articles daily (word count at least 800 to 1500 words long). Guess what the pay was going to be? N100,000 monthly. That should be $200 as at today’s exchange rate. Let’s say I didn’t take up the offer; the rest is history.
What next? Cry and whine at the state of the economy? Start thinking of how to start doing “yahoo”? None of these would help. I decided I was going to learn how to become a software developer.
Wait! Did I mention I was already running a startup on the sideline? Sorry if I hadn’t mentioned it earlier in this article. I am currently building a peer-to-peer self-storage marketplace called StoreLoad, but we are bootstrapping. Hence, any other means of earning to keep body and soul together while equally working on my idea is welcome.
How much does a typical software developer earn? According to Payscale, an average software developer in Nigeria earns between N3 million to N6 million annually. And if you’re above average and imbibes thorough work ethics, then you could be earning way more than that as you juggle multiple projects together.
Asides from the income motivation, I continue to envision myself as a tech entrepreneur. If tech truly fascinates me, and I always seem to imagine a tech-enabled solution to one problem or the other, I figured it’s best to know this thing well for myself. Going down the rabbit hole of becoming a software developer doesn’t guarantee you’ll be okay financially. But at least, you’d have equipped yourself with a skill that will always be in demand. Otherwise, you could build something others can use, and that’s what it means to be an entrepreneur.
In summary, even those who once featured at the Forbes 30 Under 30 still needs to keep working on themselves; otherwise, they become stale news. Why then should you write off yourself because you’ve not enjoyed three-minute fame? The room called “self-improvement” is big enough to fit a lot of people. But sadly, not many like visiting it.
Catch up with me on Twitter!
