Should I Continue To Code?
Things happen for a reason. That is what I have learned in the past few days. I have always love to be the best at what I do. But sometimes, I feel I am inadequate or not competent enough. Well, do not know why I feel that but I think it happens to a lot of people. You try all the possible best you could ever have tried and you realize you have missed the important step. You feel weak and ridiculous, you feel unwanted and you try all you can to salvage the situation.

But sometimes I ask myself if maybe I am incompetent and I may be got by job by luck. A lot of depression sets in and I wish the situation was over even before it started. Anyways, I have also learned of a word called Quitter and I am not ready to be that.
All I know is challenges would always creep in. What matters is that we present our best effort to that problem and know that we did the possible best we could ever have done. Nothing more. After graduating from school, I thought I would get a job and all my worries would just be over. But I have come to realize that a certain form of worries would go away and another would simply creep in.

Worries about when to go for lectures and preparing for tests would definitely be over. But worries about becoming better at your job, getting a pay raise, getting a better job, meeting a nice and lovely lady/man to marry would be the next worries to battle with.
So to answer my own question if I should continue to code. The answer is YES. I would continue to code for as long as I am capable of coding. As long as Allah gives me more strength and power to code. I would continue to code and become a programmer to help encourage all those who are out there and are having a bad day like I am. Today is not the end, keep trying. I have to be better than I was yesterday is my mantra.

I have also realized that why we sometimes feel inadequate is because we are sometimes inadequate. But the best thing is to realize it and work at becoming better. Get to read more books, practice more hands-on programming and do things you have never imagined possible. It takes time to become better.

Just assume that the challenges you are currently facing are meant to mine the best out of you. Realize that until a gold is mined and refined, its real value is never exposed. So go through your challenges with your head held high and give in the best you have all day long. Take every day as it comes and you would definitely be the best at the end.
I say to myself, Do not give up. Keep coding

What Programming Language Should I Learn?

This is one of the most asked questions about learning to program. I have had a countless number of people ask me this question and much more would do in the future. Before I give my honest opinion, it would be important to understand what programming language means and how to go about choosing a language.

A programming language is basically a way to tell your computer what to do. To tell your computer what to do involves writing certain instructions. Learning a programming language involves understanding the syntax and semantics of a certain programming language. So what factors must be considered before choosing a programming language?

One of the most important factors to consider is which section of programming you want to be based. Do you want to be a web developer, an application developer, a mobile developer? A web developer basically develops applications for the web. An application developer developers application for Desktop or other media and mobile developers develop for mobile devices. There are definitely more than these sections of programming. So after determining precisely what you want to learn, then you can decide which language to go for.
Before choosing a language, ensure you understand the fundamental principles of programming like loops, methods or functions, programming paradigms and much more. Understand the core concepts of programming even before you start. The various levels of abstraction of programming languages should also be familiar. These concepts allow you a brighter view of how programs are executed and as such would help in making choose the right language.

After understanding the core basics, then you can move on to choosing a language. Ensure your first language is a language that has a high level of difficulty. Well, I give this as a personal advice. This is because it is easier to start with the tougher ones so that future programming languages you would learn would not give you a tougher time than you have already experienced. Because of this, I would advise that you never start learning to program with a framework.

A framework is like an abstracted version of a particular programming language providing you only with the abstract and not the main core concepts. A lot of things you need to learn would have been wired and you would simply be consuming an end product. You do not want to do that as a beginner in programming. You would need to get your hands wet with codes before you become much comfortable.
Well, the most important part which even professional programmers face is that the journey is challenging. Ensure you always have a high level of motivation to keep you going even when a single semicolon prevents your code from executing. Be steadfast and consistent.

Also, stay away from too many readings and tutorials without real implementations. Start something as soon as you have understood a concept, create something and build something. That is how it all starts.
Also, ensure you have made a good research in the invention and scope of your chosen language because new languages keep coming up and some people are easily persuaded to join another language. Do not be desultory in choosing languages. Do not keep jumping from one language to another. Learn well your language and definitely be open to new changes if the new stuff makes your task far easier. But ensure you know the basics.

Programming is the world for everyone. Choose a language today and get started

The question of what is considered right or wrong has been debated for time immemorial. Some feel something is right and others feel it ia wrong. We have a lot of these types of issues in our daily lives and environment. However, beyond the issues we might feel are right or wrong, some are out-right wrong. I am writing this to admonish myself and my readers about some of the habits we need to watch out for. These kind of habits are easy to fall into and are very difficult to get out of.

I recently observed my attitude of talking about people behind their backs. It is a very common crime we all make. The issue with this attitude is that when we do it for a person, another person would do the same for us. Any issue we might not feel comfortable talking about behind a person’s back is better kept unsaid. We sometimes feel we understand the situation perfectly well and fail to realize why others do not see the problem. You waste time doing this and you would definitely hurt yourself.

It is an easy offense to commit which is why I want you to take your time in realizing that it would make the world a better place if we became morally upright. The feeling of peace we have with ourselves is second to none. We might see this as a small offense but it really matters that we consider it a big offense.

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said to Speak only when your words are good or keep silent otherwise.

This is something we all need in this age and time when technology has made access to people easier. The more we come in contact with people, the easier it is to commit mistakes and as such, we need to develop a heart that forgives and also a heart that is courageous enough to walk up to the other person and tell them how you feel. It is a difficult step but I believe it would make us better people.

Imagine it was you someone else was talking about behind your back. How would you feel? The answer is obvious. You would feel really bad. So do not do the same to others.
Treat others as you would like to be treated.
An African saying states that humans are like water, we do not know where our paths would meet again. So it is important that we create a very good relationship with everyone we meet every day. It does not matter who and what they are.

I really feel bad every time I remember talking behind someone. I feel like a coward, cravenness creeps all over me. I wish I never did it in the first place.

So I use this medium and opportunity to see forgiveness from everyone I have said something bad behind their backs. To my friends and colleagues at work, to my family and to everyone I ever have offended in any way. I really wish I could take it all back but I definitely cannot at this point. Henceforth, I would do much better at telling people how I feel right in their face rather than keep the matter lingering in my heart.
I hope you also do the same thing. We would indeed make the world a much better place.

Moral Uprightness

The question of what is considered right or wrong has been debated for time immemorial. Some feel something is right and others feel it ia wrong. We have a lot of these types of issues in our daily lives and environment. However, beyond the issues we might feel are right or wrong, some are out-right wrong. I am writing this to admonish myself and my readers about some of the habits we need to watch out for. These kind of habits are easy to fall into and are very difficult to get out of.

I recently observed my attitude of talking about people behind their backs. It is a very common crime we all make. The issue with this attitude is that when we do it for a person, another person would do the same for us. Any issue we might not feel comfortable talking about behind a person’s back is better kept unsaid. We sometimes feel we understand the situation perfectly well and fail to realize why others do not see the problem. You waste time doing this and you would definitely hurt yourself.

It is an easy offense to commit which is why I want you to take your time in realizing that it would make the world a better place if we became morally upright. The feeling of peace we have with ourselves is second to none. We might see this as a small offense but it really matters that we consider it a big offense.

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said to Speak only when your words are good or keep silent otherwise.

This is something we all need in this age and time when technology has made access to people easier. The more we come in contact with people, the easier it is to commit mistakes and as such, we need to develop a heart that forgives and also a heart that is courageous enough to walk up to the other person and tell them how you feel. It is a difficult step but I believe it would make us better people.

Imagine it was you someone else was talking about behind your back. How would you feel? The answer is obvious. You would feel really bad. So do not do the same to others.
Treat others as you would like to be treated.
An African saying states that humans are like water, we do not know where our paths would meet again. So it is important that we create a very good relationship with everyone we meet every day. It does not matter who and what they are.

I really feel bad every time I remember talking behind someone. I feel like a coward, cravenness creeps all over me. I wish I never did it in the first place.

So I use this medium and opportunity to see forgiveness from everyone I have said something bad behind their backs. To my friends and colleagues at work, to my family and to everyone I ever have offended in any way. I really wish I could take it all back but I definitely cannot at this point. Henceforth, I would do much better at telling people how I feel right in their face rather than keep the matter lingering in my heart.
I hope you also do the same thing. We would indeed make the world a much better place.

Recently, the media has been overflowing with news about the oppression of women in Islam and how a lot of countries deny women a lot of their right. Well, looking at it from another angle is always a good thing which is why I would like to state why I believe that Islam does not oppress women but only does what is indeed in the best interest of women.

Let me start my stating an example of a Muslim woman not traveling without her Mahram. The media tries to infer this in a bad way saying Muslim women are not even allowed to travel on their own. My simple question is would you advise the Queen of England travel alone without any form of guide or protection. Well, the answer is obvious. In Islam, some of these advantages may not be immediately obvious but their advantages far out-way its disadvantages.

My second example is the case of covering the body. Some people might argue that do the Muslim women not feel hot in those type of clothes. Well, there are also a lot of reasons to support that. The first instance to support that my opinion is do you always see the queen of England at ceremonies. No matter how hot or cold the place is, she must always have her gloves on. So can you say she is oppressed if she is wearing her gloves even in hot weather condition? Well, that would not be a very good way to look at it. The gloves keep the queen’s hands warm and also keeps off germs when she shakes other people. Why do we not look at those advantages when talking about the clothes the Muslim woman wears?
Also is the case of a lot of things we do not fully understand and simply give talks based on how we were raised. The way and life of a Westerner is never the same as that of an Arab or an African and as such we should try as much as possible to always understand certain situations before giving any unfit advice.

We Muslims treat our women as our Queen of England and would go the extra length to make them feel that way. We would love that they are always respectfully dressed, help in making families more morally upright and much more. The Religion of Islam is indeed from Allah and everything it involves is for the best of we humans.

These examples I have stated might not really look satisfactory to you but really, our creator knows us more than we know ourselves and has made these rules. You might not understand or agree today, but one day, we would all understand and agree.
I hope it would not be too late then. Grab a copy of the Quran today and learn more.

Peace be unto you.

A Sense of Purpose

Having watched Mark Zuckerberg’s commencement speech at Harvard, I was moved by the concept of Sense of Purpose. The speech made me reanalyze what I was doing and if I indeed had a sense of purpose. Before understanding whether I had a sense of purpose or not, I needed to understand what a sense of purpose means.

So a lot of people have a purpose for doing what they do. People go to work because they have to go to work, people enter relationships because relationships are sometimes fun and sometimes interesting. People do a lot of things for a lot of reasons. But do all reasons really matter?

Having a sense of purpose involves having a higher meaning for what you are doing. The purpose is beyond every single physical purpose. You have a much higher meaning to whatever it is you are doing. So for example, you go to work not only because you have to work but because you need to make your family comfortable and happy. You want to be a source of someone’s happiness. These type of reasons transcend our basic reasons for doing a lot of the things we do.

It does not matter what it is that you do. All that matters is that you do your work diligently with a sense of higher purpose. You simply do not work to make money. You want to make money to better people’s life. Imagine what Facebook’s sense of purpose is. It is to connect the world. Google’s sense of purpose is to organize the world’s information in a way that is easily accessible to everyone on the planet. Microsoft’s sense of purpose is to ensure that every household has a computer.

All these people made these commitments when it seemed really impossible to achieve what they have envisioned. A lot of people never believed in them. But today, the people who did not believe in them wish they did and the people who indeed believed in them are happy they did.
Take your time to analyze what your sense of purpose is. In your relationship with your spouse, what is your sense of purpose? In your job, in your family and in every area of your life, what is your sense of purpose?

A sense of purpose should serve as a compass that directs your life towards a long and fulfilling period on earth. It does not matter how long you spent on earth, all that matters is that you spent your years with a sense of purpose.
Thanks for Reading

You Cannot Always Be Right
A friend once asked me if every post I write was the right thing. I simply answered NO. Not because everything I write was wrong but because everything I write is based on my experience and ideology. Why do I still write if not everyone that reads my post agrees with me?

Well, I write because I want to share my own view of things as I have experienced them. A lot of people might not have experienced the same thing, but the few that have would not always feel they are alone in what they feel. They can know that someone else somewhere has experienced the same thing.

This type of discussion happens in our daily lives where people wish they are always correct or right about their opinion and impression. It does not always have to be true. We all might see things in different ways. Seeing things in different ways does not mean they are all wrong. They are the simply different expression of the same thing. The things we see in life depends on how our minds have grown. They all cannot be the same.
Next time someone tells you you are wrong, simply acknowledge that everyone cannot all be right. By saying that, you are simply using the same inference for them. When they say you are wrong, they might also be wrong. Do not create a big deal out of people saying that you are not correct or right.

Understand that it is just another opportunity to reanalyze your situation and determine if you could really see it from the angle of the other person. Understand that you and others do not need to always see eye to eye on a lot of issues but the most important thing is to respect everyone’s view.
You are right and you are also right. The other person might simply be right only when more or less information is provided. When their minds are introduced to more information, they would basically see what you now see.

So be happy when people criticize you. See an opportunity to become better.

Appreciate What You Have
As humans, we always seek to have more. In school, my teacher taught me that human wants are insatiable. Our needs are never satisfied. Immediately a certain goal is achieved, we immediately strive to have something better. However, we should always be careful in whatever it is that we wish and hope for. At the moment, be grateful for what you have.

Actually, this is a rather complex situation. Because whatever you have, you should always tend to achieve more, but in our quest to achieve more, we should appreciate whatever it is that we currently have. You should not get too comfortable as my dearest friend said. But keep looking ahead. But always wait and appreciate what you have because if you don’t, you would never be really happy. All you want is that which you do not have.
To be appreciative, you need to always remember where you were some few years ago. This should make you appreciate how far you have come. It should make you really hopeful that the future is indeed bright, but never stay stuck in your past. Your future is the real deal. But many a time, we cannot really say when we are in the future. Future by itself is something that would come, not something we are in. 

Take time to appreciate whatever it is you currently have. But always keep your dreams higher. By appreciating what you currently have, you can enjoy the happiness of today while still looking forward to the happiness of tomorrow.
Take a case of a family that struggles every day to make ends meet for their family. They are so involved in making ends meet that they even forget who they really are working hard for. The kids. They put too much attention into the future that the present lacks and would definitely affect the future. My message is not to forget the future but always appreciate the present.

Appreciating the present is not to simply say thank you and that is all. It is about doing the best you can do with the little time that you currently have. Whatever it is you are doing today, make the best use of it and make sure other areas of your life do not suffer. Aim to have a balanced life. Seek to be happy in the present and never grant your happiness only to a certain event in the future.

If you have come this far, you would reach the future. But never stay too comfortable. Keep creating better relationships, being beneficent to everyone around you and most importantly to your creator. Appreciate the little and great favor of every day and keep dreaming because your best is yet to come.
Thanks for Reading

Humans sometimes worry too much about uncertainties and worry less about certainties. Everyone knows they would die one day but we all act as if we are going to live forever. People seek for better lives as if they knew they would be alive the next second.

It matters that you always put death in your equation. I do not mean it as a form of a scary statement. I mean imagine that you are not around tomorrow to do whatever it is you plan to do. Always imagine the impact of your actions when you are no longer on the surface of the heart. The most important things in life sometimes pass us by without us ever thinking about them. One of such things is the month of Ramadan for a Muslim.
Some Muslims act as if the next Ramadan would meet them on the surface of the earth so they spend their time trying to achieve uncertainties. People want to make more money so that they do not suffer in old age. People earn more money so that their kids would not suffer. All these are important, but why do we act as if they would certainly happen, the only certainty in life is that we are all going to leave this earth. Why not spend more on that certainty.

This Ramadan is here again. Lucky ones among us are still here. No assurance we would see the next one. What would you do if this was your last Ramadan? Would you watch more video games, more movies or simply continue to behave in the same way you currently behave. Well, I do not know how you currently behave, but I am sure you would like to do more good deeds.

People all around us need us to do good things. We ourselves need people to do good things. So let that start with you. This Ramadan should be a starting point where you behave as if you are living a second life. Imagine you are in a world where you can simply be the best at whatever you do. Do all the best you can because you do not know if this is the last Ramadan you would be witnessing.

A lot of us for no certain reason believe that we are still young and that death is far away. So we put up doing righteous deeds until the later parts of our lives. We would always tell ourselves I would do that next year. But who assures you of next year. This moment is all that you have.
This Ramadan, do more and be more. Start with yourself. Take time out to read and understand more of the Quran. Understand the Sunnah and practice it. Pray more. Do more kind acts. It does not matter how small it is, smile at your neighbor. Shake that friend and tell him/her good words.
Feed people if you have the capacity. Pray for others. Pray that Allah guides us all to become better Muslims. Aim to become better than you were yesterday. No good deed is too small. Try every single one you can lay your hands on. Be the change the Muslim Ummah wants to see and never sit back expecting another person to do it.

Ramadan is the month of the Quran. It matters that you do more with it. Next Ramadan is not sure for anyone. Make this one this best Ramadan yet.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank every Muslim that has been kind and merciful to others during this Ramadan. Keep up the good work. The world needs more of you. For those yet to start something, there is still time. Go make a difference.
Jazakallah Khairan.

Why I Believe In Hope
Recently, I was at an event where a lady was trying so hard to explain why she is a realist. She explains that she prefers to say things the way they are rather than believing that something magical would happen. But then she explained a situation where one of her students made progress in spite of the great challenge she faced earlier.

I was in the audience listening to this woman and when she explained the case of one of her students, I felt like standing up and shouting at the woman to simply keep quiet. What other proof does she need to know that things are the way we think about them rather than believing things are the way they are.

We view certain situations not based on how it is but based on our prior experience and our current environment. Very few people really see things the way they really are. Imagine when Microsoft started the dream of having a PC in every home, people who claim to be realist would definitely want to say one or two things why it would not work out. But today, the evidence is everywhere. Children of nowadays even find it hard to imagine a home without a PC. So is the dream and hope you currently have in you. A lot of people might not see what you see, a lot of people might not believe in you. But one thing is certain, nothing is ever the way it is, believe in hope and keep going.

Many people along the way would find one or two reasons why your dream would never come to pass. Why you are not the right person, why you do not have what it takes. Keep all these thoughts in the trash can as they are simply what would remind you of the limits you have to cross. Every single thing they say you cannot achieve, surpass it and send those people a post when the achievement has been done.
Never let anyone even you limit the dream you can achieve. It might look difficult, but nothing is ever impossible. If it was impossible for another person, it does not mean it would be difficult for you.

Always have hope in whatever you are doing. It might not seem to work, but it can work. Take your time and have hope. Anyways, beyond having hope, you also most know when to remain adamant and when to pivot. That is also very strong characteristics you should have.

Thanks

Your Personality Matters
Sometimes when I work into a restaurant or supermarket to buy something, the reception at the store is such that I wish I never was there in the first place. But well, as a Nigerian, you cannot blame a lot of those attendants at the store. Some are simply doing the best they can, but others simply have a personality that stinks.

It really is difficult to work at a job that enervates you. These kinds of jobs suck all the energy in you and leave you far more depressed than you were in the beginning. You sometimes feel you never had to work for anyone in your life.

But whatever situation we are in, we have two choices. Either we less the situation control us or we control the situation. We have a choice whether to speak calmly to the next customer or behave rudely. It is definitely not easy. It is easy to talk to talk but hard to walk the talk.

Whatever the situation is, we should try to make the best out of it. However, this does not mean you have to act dumb even in cases when you are out rightly right. But it is always better to let a matter die off than keep elongating it. Whosoever is right or wrong, you have a choice on how to behave. A simple sorry and a smile are what would repair a lot of our situations but a feeling of pride is what causes most of the problem.
Take your time today to do your job well.

Check out your personality and try to always be the better version of yourself. It definitely is not easy but you need to do it anyways.

Why Everyone Should Write Code
Can you imagine how people used to improve the efficiency of work in the past? What you need was to hire more people to make the work faster. However, these days what you need is a computer. 

For teachers that know how difficult preparing teaching materials are, what they need is a computer. For the doctor who does not want to make mistakes in diagnosis, all he/she needs is a computer. In whatever scenario you find yourself, when you need more to be done, you get a computer.
One might ask “Are there not Computer Scientist?”. Why should I write code. Well, in the past, only few people could read and you needed to find someone who could read to help you read a letter whenever you have a message. But imagine these days, if you still had to find someone to read your emails and other messages for you.

So is writing code. You do not read to become a professional reader. You simply read to hep cover your basic needs. There are still professionals in the aspect of reading. This is also the same wave that is moving across in the aspect of programming. Everyone would have to one day work with the computer and the ability to be able to instruct the computer on what to do would make a great difference.
You simply should understand that writing code is just like speaking to the computer. If every field is been remodeled by computers, you field would soon be next. And your ability to be able to use the computer would make it easier to work on more important tasks than having to battle with trivial issues.

Imagine when the Apollo satellite was to be sent to space. Issues of calculations was one of the most difficult issues at that time. However, when computers were introduced, the issue of calculations was not the biggest issue and that aided in sending the Apollo team to the moon.
So is a lot of tasks we feel today are overwhelming. If we are using the computer in trying to solve our most crucial issues, our most crucial issues would simply become trivial and other significant issues would come up.

Computers would come to take your job whether you like it or not. But the most important decision you can make is to make the computer your slave and you the master. By being the master, you can control the computer on what to do and what not to do.
 
This is in essence why we should all learn to code. Computer programming is for us all. Let us embrace it

Do The Right Thing: Let The Consequences Follow
In a world where a lot of people are after riches, people want to be rich no matter what it takes. The best cars, houses and the best spouses that money can buy are the only things a lot of people focus on. They believe that without money, very few things can be achieved.
But is that truly the case? Would having the best car and house give you a fulfilled life. Take a moment to think about that. Most of us want what other people have not because it is of use to us but because others have it. That’s all. I want a nice car like the one my friend is using. If you have the nice car, then what happens.

People have stoop so low to the point that they can lie and cheat just to make money. Well, the law is simple. If you gain money illegally, the money would also go away illegally. Well, that is a simple fact. The time it takes for us to realize this is small. Look back into history into people who lived wrongly, how did they end.

It does matter that you do it right. At work, it matters that you work right. In a relationship, it matters that you love right. Be a good person. Always do the right things. The consequences would always be right.

I remember while I was a kid my mother used to force me to brush my teeth. I never saw the reason for doing that. But today, I fully understand why she did what she did. We may also not fully understand why we must do the right thing today, but give it time, you would be happy you did.
The rules of life are simple. Do good always. Let the consequences follow. Do what is right, not what other people are doing. We all have different lives to live. Just imagine for a second people that were assassinated about 100 years ago. Where are they and the people that assassinated them? Even the people that assassinated them are also dead now. What a waste. It just matters that you do it right. The right thing matters in the end
Please take your time today to always put in your best and do the right thing. The consequences would, in the end, be alright. If it is not alright, it is not the end.

As Victor Franklin said in his book If you understand the reason why you are suffering, suffering no longer looks like suffering. You understand you are in something more powerful than you can ever imagine. You are on a path to something greater.

Thanks for Reading

I Love to Teach: A lesson from the Ron Clark Story
One of the most fulfilling things I love to do is to teach. I teach as a way to relearn what I already learned and to also pass on the knowledge to someone else. Well, that is what every teacher does. But sometimes it is not as simple as passing on the knowledge. The people you are passing this knowledge onto sometimes do not understand its value and do not give into your teaching. So you have issues passing on the knowledge.

Others, however, know the value of what you are teaching them but might have one or two issues trying to hamper how they learn. They may have issues at home and as such, they find it difficult to learn in school or anywhere else. They deep down want to be accepted and loved before they can give in to learning but that is sometimes difficult for the teacher to understand.

Well, the last category of students simply understand the value of knowledge and are willing to learn. As teachers, we should ever be ready to move our students to the last category where they understand the value of learning and are willing to learn. It is not easy and sometimes seems impossible, but with great effort, it is definitely possible.

I am currently in a situation where I teach about 20 kids how to program but the larger percentage of the class are not in the last category. After watching the Ron Clark Story, I have made a decision to give it all my best to take all my students to the last category. It would not be an easy task but the end goal is worth it. My students are really caring and loving but it seems that we all see things from different perspectives.

After going through the Ron Clark movie, I realized that every good teacher would have a fair share of the good and bad students but the most important task of the teacher would be to try as much as possible to move all the students to the last category. It is a hard task I must say but I am willing to give it all that I can.

Some of my students seriously do not understand why they must program and I think it would take a while to make them understand but I am willing to go all the way.
To every teacher out there who is trying to give his/her students the best learning experience, I say keep up the good work. It would be worth it in the end. To my teachers who have made me a better student, I say thanks.
To all teachers, let's go make our students the best they can be.

What Am I Grateful For?
Can you remember five years ago when you were wishing for what you currently have now? I personally remember five years ago, I was an undergraduate at the Ahmadu Bello University wishing and hoping to have a perfect GPA score and graduate with a perfect degree. Today, I have achieved all that. But am I grateful?

A lot of us have all we used to wish for but they suddenly become things we are entitled to rather than things we are grateful we have. Whatever it is that you have today, someone with your same qualifications is someone seeking for exactly the same thing. So be grateful and humble for what you have.

I am personally grateful for the gift of Life. This week I lost a senior from my university days. He died of Cancer. May His Soul Rest in Peace. Hmm, I believe I should be grateful for the gift of life as a lot of people younger and older than I am are gone but I am still here. I hold no special secret to living longer but the Creator of the Universe has been merciful.

I am grateful for the gift of having a family to call my own. One cannot fully understand the value of family until you do not have them. I am most grateful. For the gift of being a Muslim, I am grateful. To believe in One and Only One true God is something you should cherish. 
I am a job I cherish. Less than a year from graduating from the university, I have a job I look forward to continuing for the rest of my life. I am indeed grateful.

The challenges I have faced that has shaped me in who I have become today are something I am also grateful for. The challenges we wished we never had but have become something good for us in the end.
For my boss and colleagues at work that makes the environment more than interesting. I am grateful. For the gift of everything, I am eternally grateful.

The things we should be grateful for are infinite. But it makes a lot of sense if we sometimes take a few minutes to be grateful for at least one of them. I may not be able to list every single thing I am grateful for because I am human. We all are human. So take a few minutes today to be grateful for something.
Let us Share. What are you grateful for today?

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It Matters That You Do It Right
Some few months ago, I was serving as a corp member and I had to teach some of my students Fractions. Fast forward to today, I am revising fractions in preparation for my GRE exams and I still remember exactly how I taught my kids proper and improper fractions, mixed fractions and so on. Woow, in such a little time, I have been able to see the effect of something I did.

That made me think that what if I never taught those kids Fractions in the best way that I could have. Two things would have happened. I would have to definitely focus and learn fractions again and the guilt of not teaching the kids very well would taunt me for the rest of my live. But I am happy that I did just the best that I could for those kids.

This is one scenario in life. Everyday, we are faced with challenges and what matters is that we solve them with all the best we have got. It does not have to be a big task before we give it our best, we simply need to give our best no matter the situation. For those at work, it does not matter whether the boss is watching you or not, give the best that you can.

It does not matter whatever task it is that you are working on, it matters that you do it right. Ensure that you have met all the standards that indeed makes whatever you are doing right. It does matter that you have contributed in making something right no matter the size. It matters that we do things the right way because we do not know what the future holds. The same thing we underestimate is what might land us in trouble tomorrow.

It does not matter that the problem was solved or not. It matters that you have looked at yourself and admitted that you gave it your best shot. That is all that matters. I would like that you look into your daily live and give the best to whatever it is that you are currently doing. It does not matter whether the effect of doing it right can be felt immediately or not. 

Great countries have had people who did the best for their countries. Great people also gave it their best in whatever they became great at. It does not matter where you are right now, all that matters is that you have given it your best. So today, give your next task the best that can give. It matters that you do.

Is Your Customer Satisfied?
Most of the time, engineers believe that if they build the right product that people would come. This issue is somewhat true but a new wave of whether a customer would use your product or not is sweeping across the whole market and no amount of advertising can surpass that. It is called Customer Satisfaction.

Customer Satisfaction is a really complex issue but any organization you ask about their customer satisfaction always believes that they are satisfying their customers 100%. But is that the case? Most organizations only talk the talk but cannot walk the walk. What I mean is that it is easy for any organization to say they are satisfying their customers while they are indeed doing the opposite.

I sincerely believe it is rather important that organizations start focusing on customer satisfaction rather than merely spending more money on advertisement. From an article I read recently on medium, the effect of advertisement is greatly reducing as a lot of people have began developing a phobia for adverts and simply do not want to see or believe them anymore.

What most people want is trust. They want to have organizations who are loyal to them and they would in turn reciprocate the gesture. However, as clear as this is, a lot of organizations still prefer to do adverts than listen to the voice of their customers. An organization might maintain monopoly in a market, but if they provide poor customer service, only time would tell before their monopoly no longer exists no matter what type of industry they are in.
The truth be told. People would rather buy a product on the suggestion of a friend or colleague who has tried the same product rather than mere jingles of advertisements. Even the power of salespersons is gradually becoming less effective as customers are more skeptical about what salespersons have to say. All the salesperson wants in the end is a part of your wallet.

It would be wise for any organization to focus rather on customer satisfaction than mere advertisements. I would also recommend that the top advertisement companies like Google take more time to work on how to get Customer Satisfaction rating apps than mere adverts. This is because a lot of people are beginning to get tired of adverts and the only way adverts can work is through words of mouth. Well, I consider this a free but paid adverts. You customers should be the ones doing the advertising and marketing for you rather than spending an extra dime in employing salespersons. Let your customers become your salesperson.

This might not directly translate to a huge financial upsurge immediately but in the future, adverts would definitely be considered one of the least ways of persuading customers. Words of mouth of customers means customers are loyal to your product and more loyalty only means more promised sales in times to come. You have guaranteed sales and you have loyal customers who would go out of their way to become your salesperson.

This might be a long shot but it is time organizations began considering the need to up their games in the area of customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Idea from the Book Satisfaction of J.D. Power and Associates

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Am In

Sincerity
It is not always really clear why we do what we do sometimes. We try to simply put our best in anything we do so that we are sure we have given the best we ever can. But what if there was something we do that would give more into whatever it is we are into at any point in time.

Have you ever thought about being sincere about whatever it is you are doing at a certain point in time? Being sincere here means having a clear and feasible reason for doing whatever you are doing backed up by God. Most people believe that doing something real hard is the only way to achieve success. I am not criticizing that but rather suggesting that doing hard work with all sincerity is a better way to achieve greatness and success.

Whatever it is you want to accomplish, a feeling of being sincere makes you give it all you have with the faith that God would definitely help you out. It does not matter what it is you are going, all that matters is that you give it all you have with the strength that you have with the time that you have. That is all that matters.

We need to be sincere in our jobs, relationships, friendships and every other aspect of our lives. It does not matter what action we participate in, all that matters is that we are sincere and giving it all we have. To be sincere is to state specifically why you are in a relationship with another person with no fear of being rejected but with the firm faith that all you have stated is nothing but the truth. It matters that we are sincere in everything we embark on.

The world would definitely be a better place if we become more sincere in the way we carry out our everyday activities. It does not matter how significant or insignificant the task is, all that matters is that we are sincere in it.
Take some few minutes to really be sincere in the activity you are currently participating in and all other activities you would ever participate.

Thanks for Reading

Am I In Love?
Sometimes, we ask ourselves the question “Why Am I in Love with this person?” We might get an immediate answer and sometimes, we cannot really figure out why. We simply know we want to be with that person. Whatever your reason is, always consider love as a verb not a noun.

Love is not a feeling you get mostly explained by movies. Love is not only about that one time gaze that makes the whole world come down to you. Love is care and feeling in action. It is a feeling confirmed by our actions. It is the ability to think about making another person better while also growing.

Sometimes, we do not get to choose who we care and love. They just happen and we feel we need to be more attentive and caring to certain people. It does not matter how we met. It just happens.

This feeling is what I am currently feeling about a lady I met recently. Not exactly sure why I really like her, I simply just want to get to know her and really love her. Love as a verb. But the more I try, the more it seems to never work. The more I try to see reason with her to give it a chance, the more she gets away from me. Well, when a guy says he likes a girl, it does not always have to be romantic. It could simply be a innocuous feeling which if given a ground to grow can blossom into something great.

Whatever the latent reason for loving this young lady is, it does not seem to go away any time soon. I hope she would one day read this and truly understand that I do truly care and want to be friends with her.
We say we have a reason for doing something. Just because we have a reason does not make the reason right. We can always look at the issue from another point of view and angle. Some might say this is obsession but it is not. It is simply an innocent young man’s way of saying he is really interested.

The most important quality I think anyone should have in a relationship is to be sincere about their feelings. Letting out whatever their heart and mind carries without fear of devaluation or brutish criticism.

My short writing might not carry any more weight than that of a young boy madly in love, but the only thing I can tell you is I profusely let out my heart feelings and for you to know that I really care.

One of the greatest regret people make is Indecision or Inaction. I would not want to make the same mistake with you and which is why I use this medium to let you know that I truly care.
Thanks for Reading.

Should I Ever Try?
As a kid born in Africa, the first time you hear about MIT is either in the movies or on the Internet. Well you might be lucky that people around you talk about MIT.

MIT — Massachusetts Institute of Technology is unarguably one of the best Tech schools in the whole of Planet earth. When I see people seek and gain admission into that school, I simply ask myself if those people are as human as I am. They must be way better I guess.
But should I just stop there and think that those people who graduate from MIT are simply better and there is nothing I can do about it. Well, it is a choice. There is no guarantee that I would ever gain admission but what’s the worst thing that could happen if I apply.

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately and I wish and hope that one day, I would be bold and qualified enough to seek and gain admission into MIT. Whenever that day would be, I would give it all the best I can give.
Your case must not be about seeking admission or trying something really hard. It might just be about giving it a try. No matter what the case is, you can still try. Even if you have tried a thousand times, try try again. It makes a lot of sense when you finally succeed after a lot of failures. Even better, no one remembers the failures you had. All they can think of the many success you have achieved.

Would it be possible that people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs never failed at anything. If they never failed, they would never have succeeded. It does not matter how long it takes, all that matters is that you didn’t give up.
Inaction is the one regret most people have at the end. Become an exception. Try whatever it is you wish you could have done with the time you have left because no one knows tomorrow.

So get up and give it all you have. Try again and never sit in the room of Inaction. Get up and get into the room of activity and no regrets.
Thanks for Reading

How To Look At Failure
The first time I received a rejection letter from the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, I was devastated. I could not understand why I did not get the scholarship even though my friend got it the first time. I took up courage and applied again. I was rejected the second and third time. 

I applied again the fourth time, this time changing my course from Computer Science to Software Engineering with the hope that fewer people would apply and I would get lucky. However, the result came back the same. I was once again rejected. But the feeling I have now is no longer the same feeling I had the first time. I would not say I am now used to failing. I have simply being able to turn the rejection into a force driving me to get admitted.

I am planning on taking the GRE exams, but because of my rejections, I plan on getting the perfect score I could ever get. The rejection notice I see on the admission letter is what really pushes me to go further than I did the last time. It really is not failure, it means I have another shot at giving the admission board the best that I have got. And this time, they would have no option than to accept me. Well, I pray God makes it work that way.

Sometimes, it is not always about losing. It is about how we look at it and what we do with the failure that matters. I used to simply think to stop applying for graduate school and just work. But the more time I spend working, the more I realize all I want is to go back to school and get the best that I can. I even dare think of applying to MIT. All these are as a result of the failure I had while applying to KFUPM.

I hope my strong will to continue would never break because I do want to go beyond having a masters and eventually a PhD before I reach my 30th birthday. I do not know if it would happen but if I keep changing my perspective and keep doing my best, I believe God has the ultimate key to success and would grant it when he wants.

Education is something I really love and cherish, and the more I get these rejection letters, the more I believe I should go for it. GRE exams is really fun to ace but kinda hard while practicing. I hope I would be able to have a perfect score in the exam and try apply to all the schools I never thought I could dare apply to. Would really take my time to go through the Magoosh course content and give it all I have got.

Well, failure is not about being rejected, it is what you do when you see the rejection letter. Give up or keep going, the choice well I choose is to never give up. You also should not
Thanks for Reading

Harbioye:


Let me start by introducing myself
I'm Yusuf Ridwan, a Comp. Sci undergraduate HND1.
I could remember back then in 2012, I chose computer science as a course of study coz there was no other course o could apply for in JAMB buh fast forward to 2017, I av no regret of choosing comp. sci.

Like most other students, I fell in love with programming buh I couldn't develop myself in 1 language (back then as an ND student).

Thank God for meeting someone I call the "Right Person", I began to develop myself in C# WinForms, MySql database and I'm currently learning drupal CMS and Android PL.

The journey so far, has not been smooth buh it's been encouraging.

I'm not a good writer buh I hope my writeup pass a message to whoever is reading this right now.
#stayBlessed

Your message has indeed passed a message to me. Keep up the good work bro and never stop going higher. Thanks for sharing

Team Work is All That Matters
As a software developer, we get ranked by how many programming languages or how many projects we have contributed to. This is the current trend and I think it would not last long. The reason is because you can find the resources to learn what you need when you need to. And once you have learnt it, it sticks with you forever. By the way, the basics is what you need to know to survive a lot of Software Development project.

So what would matter? In my own opinion, ability to work with others would be one of the required skill in the future. This is because a lot of people would be able to do great things alone but you know when two great minds come together, the result is amazing. So would be programming. Programmers would be able to pull off great projects alone but those projects would have hit a whole lot of people if the project was done by a lot of people. A lot of brilliant ideas makes a project flourish

I am not talking about having to work in groups on every single project you have. No, the whole idea is to start cultivating the habit of working with teams. Working with teams means a lot of things have to change from the current way you are used to doing things. A lot of programmers like to start and finish something all in their own space and simply push it out to the next developer once they are done. No communication while on the project or anything as such. But it would be difficult if the project would go perfectly fine because as we all know it, one bug or the other would definitely crawl into the project out of nowhere and every developer would say their code was fine.

You do not need to always be in a team to work fine, but it matters that you learn from time to time about working on a team. A lot of open source projects have issues where people find it difficult to work as a team. The idea of a team is to have a unified way of seeing a problem even if we all individually see it otherwise. Everyone needs to bring up their suggestions in a calm and organized manner and that is how a team would grow.
Every single Software Developer needs to be able to understand how to improve the overall goal of a team by working hand in hand with other programmers. Imagine yourself as a football team, one single player cannot do it all. It takes the team to make it work. Even the world best footballers need to be in the right team to grow. All that matters is that the end goal is the same. So in programming.

It might take a while to get used to that but it would definitely pay off if we all learn to work together as a team rather than just single entities.
Thanks for Reading

Hello, I really love your zeal. I work with an IT firm in Abuja and would really love to help. Kindly send me a DM to talk.

abdulazeezidris28@gmail.com is my email

The Three Stages of Human Development
When we come into this world, we are dependent on our parents for everything. We cannot eat or do the basic items of life without seeking help from others. At this stage in life, it is only natural that we remain dependent for as long as we are still growing up. However, this stage does not go on forever. At some point in time, we stop depending on others and start fending for ourselves. At this point, we become independent.

By becoming independent, we seek to fend for ourselves without seeking support from others. We at this point are in definition independent. However, no man is ever fully independent. We simply become independent to a certain level. There are still some aspects of life where we would still be dependent. We still are dependent on air, water and all the basic natural needs of life. It means we still are dependent on the creator of the universe.

Beyond being dependent and independent, we need to look at another stage of life. Do we become our best only by being independent? The answer is NO. We still at one point or the other depend on other humans for growth and development. To achieve the best in life, we need to transcend to the level of interdependence.

By being interdependent, we do not rely on people for what we need, but we try to work with others to achieve the best we all can be. It is definitely possible to become the best alone but it is more fulfilling when achieve success with others. When we make others become better, then the true meaning of success is achieved.

In life, one’s goal is not only to better ourselves, but to better people all around us. We do want to make a mark on the world when we leave, but this cannot be achieved by only staying at the level of independence. We need to become interdependent.
In the real sense, no human is truly independent, so we strive at becoming interdependent. By becoming interdependent, we do not look up to others for dependence, but we strive to achieve the best out of our independence.
Countries like America must at some point depend on other countries, but that does not mean America is dependent on those countries. By becoming interdependent, countries achieve more and do more.

So is human. However, this development must be gradual. You do not expect to become independent all at once. But we should at some point, learn to grow and move from one step to another.

In the end, the goal is interdependence, NOT INDEPENDENCE

Deicide:



Thats what am asking na If i had would i be asking you sir?

Okay, so you could use PHP or Java as the backend code or an array of other languages. You could simply look up connecting to database using PHP online. That would be a cool way to start. Let me know if you have issues finding any resources for that

Deicide:

i dont even know what you mean by this or is it something like perl?

Okay, so let me rephrase my question. So you write computer programs using languages. The front end languages are mostly what you see on the screen. The backend language is the language does the logic. You mostly cannot see the backend logic directly on screen which is where you do all the database connection and other server side code.

So that is my question. What language do you use for the connection to your database and other backend logic

Do Not Give Up
It is sometimes easy to tell someone not to give up hope especially if you are not in their situation. We say I feel your pain, but do we really feel exactly what the other person is feeling. We might feel it and we might not but the most important thing anyone can do in any situation is never to be a reactant to their situation. Never let your situation control who you are. 

Have a clear goal and go for it no matter what. This does not mean to follow blindly when all the signs are there that says that you should not continue. Some situations are simply apparent but for others, we need to keep pushing until we see the light at the end of the tunnel. Some people find it difficult to determine situations to give up and situations to not give up. It is really hard to tell but you can really always find a ground to choose from. It is a game of numbers so persist as much as you can with all that you have.

Do not see yourself as a loser rather see yourself victorious at the end of your struggle. You have to believe in yourself as no one can see for you what you see for yourself. The future is still at large. A lot of what our future becomes is how we make ourselves. The future is just like a machine, it is the output of our input. Your inputs are your thoughts and actions today and every other day. You cannot let your present day make you produce less of an input than the best. You can only have this chance right now.

Do not give up. By giving up, you simply produce no input to your future machine. Without any input, there is essentially no output. Remember, your future is an output of your present day. Make the result a wonderful one. Take some few minutes today to really analyze what your input is. You can do better than what you think you are doing and giving up is not an option. 
Thanks for Reading