NELSON OLUWABUKOLA MICHEAL: DARE TO FINISH (BE INSPIRED)

 I am a man driven by goals. The goal of earning a US College Degree came to me at the cost of 1,460 days of rigorous learning, a string of late nights, juggling work, school and family, and a cash investment of roughly $250,000. Was it worth the investment? Well,my response does not matter much at this point. I can only say that I made a commitment to myself and followed through, and I am fulfilled.

One of the goals I set for myself when I got to the United States of America was to get a degree in the field of Information Technology. I decided that since I already had a background in Mass Communication and Public Relations, I stand to gain more from getting understanding in the Computer Science field. I earned this degree in May 2016, but I could not walk the stage because I had to be in Nigeria with the Dream Project for Africa team for our #InternationalTour.

It takes guts to follow through on goals that extend past a day (talk less of 1,460 days). Worse still, attaining your goals could be much burdensome when you align yourself with the wrong association and when you listen to the jeers from those who envy where you might end but are low on the fuel of determination to go the long haul and pay their dues.

Was I tough on all days I spent pursuing this goal? Hell no! Only the first year seem to go by smoothly. I recall going with my oldest daughter to see my advisor Mrs. Kay Pleasant sometime in 2012 to discuss my future at UT Tyler. Ms. Pleasant looked at me and said, "I do not know how you would pull through this with a daughter, a job, and family." Well, what she didn't know at the time was that I was already eyeing my wife for another baby and that I would get a job as a Business Analyst with one of the foremost cable companies in the US midway into my program. Mrs. Pleasant continued, "this course is tough and most people who come in single end up not completing or go crazy midway". That was it! That was the motivation I needed. I enjoy going the path that most people dread. I opted in and began the course.

My second baby came in the next year and at about the same time, I secured an internship as a #BusinessAnalyst with Suddenlink Communications.

On completion of my internship, the organization employed me full-time as a Data Analyst and 3 months later, I was promoted to the position of a Business Analyst. Mrs. Pleasant's forewarnings would begin to take their toll. I had to stop gunning for straight "A"s in my courses,so that I could focus on bringing the best to my job. At that point I was more concerned with gaining experience than making A grades.

In 2014, for the first time in my academic career I made an F in Statistics Class! Why? Stats was a class between 8am and 10am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. How do you tell your boss to release you for 2 hours during the top hours of the day when you are entrusted with the task of managing reports for an entire region and when you had to meet with VPs and the CEO on some of those days as early as 8am? Not possible! So I started missing classes and was too strong willed to drop the class early. I passed the other courses that I was able to attend in the evenings and moved on to the next semester. I scaled through with a mix of A, B and C grades.

In 2015, I enrolled for another Stats class, this time online and made a B. But I had two more semesters to go. However, I was unable to attend another class as much as I should and I made a D. To fulfill the requirements of my course I had to make at least a C. But making a D was not the blow I suffered that semester. The blow was that I would need to add an additional semester to be able to retake that 200 level course. I forged ahead. I was to graduate by Fall of 2015, but I could not because of the additional semester. My biggest hurdle was yet to be crossed.

My senior year courses required that I collaborate with other students on the final year project Capstone. Meaning that I had to choose between my amazing job, my attention to family or completing my degree. It was the longest four months of my life (at least so far). The final step in that year's journey seemed like I was just beginning the whole journey altogether. I took long walks to clear my head, I listened to the audio versions of the Psalms, I meditated, I struggled to make the best decision. Eventually, I had to say goodbye to my job and stick with family and career goal.

I took the bullet and got the job done because that is what I want to the known for - the guy who gets the job done. That is whom I want my kids to know me for - dad always delivers.

I hope to inspire anyone out there who wants to give up on their dreams to think twice about who they really want to be known for - the guy or lady that failed? The quitter? Or would you rather be know as the person who gets the job done?

For me, I do not quit. I do not relate with quitters. If you were a quitter when I became friends with you, you would either learn to fly or hate me for being too fast for your liking. Yes. I make most of my enemies that way. I am that guy whom most think is crazy and tireless. They could be right. However, I consider myself to be that guy who loves to get the job done, no matter what it takes.

A tough goal, you might say; actually, I'm determined to make this the least of my achievements over the next 10 years .

NOM 2016