Hello Steemit !!!

(Don't worry that's not me in the picture, but I wish it was🙄....Pictures from an outreach program i organized with a team of wonderful people in one of Africas biggest slums, Makoko..where we walked on water, most of the population live on buildings supported by stilts on a part of the Atlantic Ocean bordering Lagos, NG....{I'll tell you about it later 🕺})

I am Emmanuel, a developing Project Manager in one of the most thriving Fin-Tech firms in my country. Just got to know about awesome Steemit, its potential, how I can contribute to this awesome community and benefit from the wealth of knowledge and resources from the professionals and creatives here. Just been here for a bit and i'm already loving it 🤗. PS: special request I'd love all the support and friendliness I can get for my on-boarding 😊.

Now I think my next step should be doing some painting, first of my self 😊. here I am 👇

I remember the day like yesterday, I was so small (practically), It was 7 years ago, I was a young, excited chap getting into the university to acquire skill to change the world! I still remember the lights, tall buildings I saw, It was like a David and Goliath Scenario, the structures looked really mammoth compared to my "small size." Took a while but I settled in. I met a lot of people over the years, did a lot of projects (academic and non-academic). My capacity to dream was expanded, the community I found myself helped shape my mind and my perception of life and success. Covenant University, Ota. is truly a place to be.

After 4 years I was out with my Bachelors in computer Science and with some certificates here and there. Learning programming was exciting, the power to type some gibberish somewhere and see something beautiful birthed was the greatest feeling. It was empowering on so many levels. I remember my HTML and CSS days (the first time i put an image/video on a webpage, I took my PC from room to room showing my friends, it was awesome, I was Super Man 🤣🤣🤣). With time i got to know that there was more to it than just a front end classy page. Had to learn MySql, PHP to be able to create dynamic content.

My zeal and passion to code at the time drove me into learning a lot of programming languages, from HTML&CSS, Php, Java, C++, C#, Python. I just wanted to know all. It was years down the line i realized my approach wasn't optimal . (at least not for me); I was like a jack of all trades 🏃and master of none. Thing was I hadn't found myself / what I wanted to do /where I wanted to be yet, so I was just jumping up and down, from point to point, Like they say: "If you don't know where you're going, anywhere will look like it". I was like a ship without a sail, lacking focus on a core line I wanted to tow, but as I moved up in classes and life I started to know what was important and not for me. I started thinking of where I wanted to be and what I needed to get there, my journey of self discovery. If I was going to be a career person or follow an innate entrepreneurial drive I have......or do one and go into both with a proper plan and strategy.

I was lucky to do a blend of courses in school from core Computer Science courses to Operations management, Economics, Management Information System (MIS). I was excited at the prospects and what I had ahead of me. I didn't exactly expect a smooth transition, but it was more demanding than I had anticipated. Starting life isn’t a piece of cake for anyone anywhere, but my country has a peculiar case of being unforgiving to those who don’t have the fortitude to press through the hay stack and come out on top. It’s a steady race,

you can’t afford to “gawk” yourself. You don’t stop, you keep going!!!

A lot happened since I left school, The "Broke-Days", Work, Trainings (to avoid getting stale and irrelevant), trying different businesses, learning new skills..... and so much more..

After University there was a year of National Youth Service (NYSC) in a different place, new people, unfamiliar living conditions, the service year was preceded by a 21 Day camp in a village .....that has a lot of interesting stories, but I'll drop them if you request 😊.....

I applied and failed at a lot of recruitment stages, from exams, to final interviews and finally God made all the effort and sweat pay off......

Before i continue my adventure story, I need to know I know there's an audience, following 😊

At the moment, I'm a Project manager with a thriving Fin-tech in my home country Nigeria, Just got on board and it's been a wonderful ride so far, I've had a lot of catching up to do in a really fast paced environment with people from different cultures, beliefs et all. I've realized how important collaboration is to succeed with people. Having genuine empathy and concern for the them and communicating in the best way possible.

Before I end this first post let me reiterate how excited I am about being on Steemit, I believe i can learn a lot about my field and interests which range from, music, cryptocurrencies, entrepreneurship, trends, and living the best possible life. In 2015 I tried stepping into the bitcoin world, lack of guidance got me fried like hot eggs for breakfast, I lost a lot of my investments and in early 2017 I backed off. First off, I deleted the Telegram app from my phone, didn't want to hear bitcoins again I was so hurt, but it's 2018 and I feel alive!! I want to try the cryptocurrency world again ..Let's see what this journey holds for me.

Kindly Share and reSteem