Finally done with Sprint 1 of ALX_SE. Power of Atomic Wins. Part 2.
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
Yesterday I wrote the first part of my experience with the Sprint 1 ALX_SE journey. Fortunately, while I was near sleep and awake I got the inspiration to flow like water and since this break was forthcoming I decided to rekindle my touch with literature. To satisfy my constant need of ever feeling guilty whenever I haven’t read or written a piece in a long time. This guilt is disheartening and usually has me draining pumps of precious brain energy. Procrastination for lack of a somber softer word.
To kickstart this journey I have to go back and look at the eureka moment when I decided to join the ALX challenge. The #dohardthings challenge. I was introduced to ALX through a series of well-curated ads in my Instagram reel endeavor. I didn’t pay attention like we all do when we don’t want to step out of our comforts. So I dodged it for a few days. However, they were persistent and I gave it a try and headed to the ALX admissions page via the IG link.
ALX Tech Plus Programme Admissions
I submitted my details but in between pressing the button I was hesitant and was pushed off by the 70 hours a week commitment deal. I brushed it off and went to sleep.
However, it was like the book I said I would read and not necessarily read. Guilt started to swell over my thumbs and I started questioning my guts into whether I could be able to afford such a commitment. It followed me like a shadow. In the shower, thoughts of it lingered until I got rid of the application and the deadline was over and my fears subsided.
A period of two weeks passed and I was contacted by my dear cousin (may God be gracious to you). She shared the same link via WhatsApp. I believe it’s similar to the story of my boy Santiago, who holds the Urim and Thummim and utters the phrase
‘When you desire something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.’
Well, in all truth I did conspire but my will was divided. Just like he was conflicted when he had to choose between the King’s conspiracy and the palm reader’s prophecy against his own will. The dictionary definition of a dilemma.
In all gusto, I completed the application successfully and waited for the glorious confirmatory email. “You have been accepted to the ALX program”. The awaited manna and quail from heaven. I was accepted first during my cohort 11, all was well from the onboarding sessions and to remember correctly we had Cole Baidoo as our technical mentor. Biggest shoutout to Maarten. And in respect shoot out to Fred Swaniker and sponsors in particular Mastercard Foundation for opening the doors of a technological Afrika by providing this skill at no cost.
I did well for month 1 all through October of 2022 where I had to maneuver the shell and know how to use editors like emacs and vim. Completed the tasks mostly on late nights as I was not used to having an accountable life. I was a habitual movie enthusiast. And as you guessed I didn’t meet the 80% to progress to the following month and on the 6th of January 2023 I was deenrolled from the programme.
Winners aren’t quiters. I applied the form to resume the program at a later date. The application was well received and I got to choose the period conducive enough to continue with the program.
Let us take a moment and reflect on what I did during my mind-searching period.
During this period I didn’t do much that was software-related. I was and still am an undergrad in the Quantity Surveying profession. I also took a Google course on the “Fundamentals of Digital Marketing” which was being offered by Google Afrika. So much for a mind-finding therapy. I didn’t take a look at my GitHub account and it lie there in the shadows, a lurking bat in the caves of Mongolia.
My routine was primarily occupied with schoolwork and movies. However, I think I found my peace. The light at the end of the tunnel when one day I happened to stumble upon the trigger to the equation. I was searching and building upon my LinkedIn profile when I saw the positive reviews of the ALX program. Most were from my native country Kenya. The reviews were of accolades of greatness, the epitome of pure bliss, and a lost heaven on earth. I was captured, my desire rekindled, and my appetite savory and hungry for the program once more.
During this period I got to consume a lot of philosophy from the Stoic perspective and I grew the needed resilience to float in the troubled waters. I was impressed with Seneca’s Letters From a Stoic. I recall in particular, On the Shortness of Life, On Wasting Time, and On Preaching What You Teach. These resounded deeply in me. And as a guiding rule the Holy book of Sirach shares equivalent nuggets of wisdom about life as a youth, who is wading on untrained grounds and lost in untarmaced roads. He doesn’t know where they lead but who follows the course.
After this period I felt rejuvenated and reapplied for the cohort 17 intake and I was luckily invited to join the team again.
I hope you are being motivated to push until pushing isn’t a choice but a pride you take. It takes discipline from the core, the art of science and the science of art all intertwined in one.
The small leaps of faith and the power of atomic wins. Let it grace your temple and overshadow your doubts. Let him take his cross, a cross of joy.
