2024: Order in Chaos, Happier than ever.

The Genesis: Stepping Into 2024

January hit different this year. Picture this: everyone rushing back to campus like their lives depended on it, and there I was, still glued to my laptop on the 13th, wrestling with a client’s project like it was the Olympics. Who delays school resumption for a gig? awkwardly raises hand

The Hustle Chronicles

This wasn't just any random hustle though. My tech journey started back in 2020, when I was just another hustling boy trying to make sense of the internet. Then it hit me – people would actually pay for this stuff! Started with basic builds, evolved to full websites, then a job, and by late 2020, your boy was making some decent cash. Talk about leveling up! lmaoooowhatafoolishboy

I rolled into 2021 feeling like I had the cheat codes to life – a marketable skill, freedom from parental funding within reach, and this sleek chick making everything brighter. Finally ditching the single life! (Spoiler alert: Life had other plans, and they weren't nearly as pretty as my daydreams).

Trying Times: When Reality Hits Different

The Broke Diaries

Crossed into 2021 feeling like I was about to taste the good life – had a skill, independence from parental funding seemed within reach, and maybe, just maybe, the days of surviving on garri were numbered. Plus, there was this sleek chick in the picture.

The Reality Check

Nobody prepares you for adult life hitting like a truck. Watching my savings drop faster than Manchester United on the Premier League table was a humbling experience (cringeee). Rent? That was just the appetizer. Setting up the new apartment? Nearly sent me into financial witness protection.

The Job Hunt Saga

Started throwing job applications everywhere like I was distributing party invites. No strategy, no target companies – just "kindly find attached" becoming my life's motto. My tech friend would roll through in his startup glory, living his best life, while I'm there thinking "God, I see what you're doing for others..." (I'm actually finished lmaoo) Just when hope was doing the moonwalk out of my life, I landed this gig building a multivendor eCommerce store. The pay? Let's just say it was giving "better than nothing" vibes. Then the sleek chick decided to write me out of her story. Spent a week so down bad, my friends thought I was method acting for a tragedy.

Academic Adventures: When Books Met Hustle

The Portal Saga in 400lv

Y'all remember that F grade that had me refreshing my portal like it was all fake? First F ever – the shock had me questioning if I was in a parallel universe. That meme about "you dey refresh your portal like say na live score, nah your result be dat" wasn't just a meme anymore – it was my biography.

School had turned into this massive puzzle where none of the pieces fit. I was always busy with work, couldn't focus in class though I attended all, couldn't take notes as much, couldn't read as much as I used to – it was like my brain had joined the "quiet quitting" movement. The imposter syndrome was hitting harder than Nigerian jollof at a party.

But shoutout to my friends though – they literally dragged me through the semester with their motivation and learning help. Ended up maintaining a decent GPA.

The Power Systems Design Nightmare

Now in my final year, Sitting in that exam hall, staring at the Power Systems Design questions like they were written in hieroglyphics. Just there laughing because what else can you do when life serves you lemons without sugar? From first-class in 100L to contemplating if calculators can solve existential crises – the growth was real, just not in the direction I planned. Didn’t fail that exam btw lol.

Bombastic: The Professional Leveling Up

Radio Days

Started speaking at ITV's Tech Info Session in Benin. Me, former chairman of the "avoid public speaking at all costs" committee, now dropping tech knowledge on radio like I was born with a mic. Did it about 7-8 times, even got TV time. Your boy was getting that media exposure! (Is this what arriving feels like?)

Mr Ambassador

Early 2024 started with me jobless but more ambitious than ever. Became a Roqqu ambassador in February, and boy, did that change the game! Started speaking at events like I'd been doing it my whole life. From the Blockchain Conference UNIBEN with 1,199 attendees I and my colleague basically hosted and organized, to the Bitcoin Pizza Day to multiple event we attended as representatives(SuperTeam, SheCodeAfrica, SUI, Rust Nigeria) and more.

The Google Summer of Code Breakthrough

This deserves its own chapter, fr. Remember OSCAFEST 2022? Met this female friend Favour there—same course(Electrical/Electronics Engineering), same level—instant connection. Fast forward to her telling me about GSoC success on a video call we had, and I'm thinking, "Wait, you're telling me I can get paid in dollars for what I've been doing for free?" P.S: I've been contributing to open source for a long time before then, at that time. The lightbulb moment was brighter than my future.

Working with DocuSign Engineers wasn't just a job – it was a masterclass in imposter syndrome management. There I was, in daily standups with directors of engineering, trying to act like I totally belonged there. Collaborating with teams across three continents, dealing with time zones that made my head spin. The first time I converted my earnings to naira, I had to sit down. Multi-millionaire status hit different, even though the Nigerian economy had other plans for my wealth (cringeee). I was also working my Nigerian job at the time, which I eventually quit.

Podcast Plot Twist

But wait, there's more! Remember Joel from OSCAFEST 2022? Man hit me up out of nowhere for "The Unspoken Podcast." Wanted me to spill the tea about my Google Summer of Code experience. My first thought was "people actually want to hear about my tech journey?" (I'm actually finished lmaoo)

There I was, sharing my GSoC story, trying to sound professional while internally fanboying over being on a proper podcast. The whole experience was surreal – from the professional setup to hearing my own voice played back (why do we sound so different in recordings though?).

Matters of the Heart: The Relationship Chronicles

The One Per Year Theory

Let's talk about my peculiar love life – specifically, my "one romantic episode per calendar year" policy (it's not actually a policy, I'm just calling it that to feel better about myself lol). 2024's episode was straight out of a Gen-Z romance novel. Four days of non-stop texting turned into a full-blown relationship faster than you can say "situationship."

My friends thought my account was hacked when I skipped the talking stage entirely. Me, the guy who needed a formal email to schedule lunch with the guys, suddenly making time for daily calls and random adventures. The character development was real!

The Intrastate Love Story

Did the unthinkable – traveled intrastate too for love. Me, who used to think leaving my room for lectures was too much commitment. The old me is somewhere shaking his head in disappointment. But hey, growth, right? (I'm actually finished lmaoo)

The Professional Journey: Building an Empire

The Roqqu ambassadorship wasn't just a title – it was a whole new chapter. Started organizing events like I'd been doing it my whole life. From small campus meetups to the mammoth Blockchain Conference UNIBEN with 1,199 attendees and 200+ volunteers at Festus Iyayi Hall. Numbers that still make me dizzy thinking about them.

Let me tell you about the conference drama though. One day before the event, the dean still hadn't signed the approval of the hall. Imagine having paid for the hall, printed flyers, banners everywhere, and the man is thinking we're running a crypto scam or something. Took more begging than I'm proud to admit, but we pulled through. First time speaking to a crowd that big – legs shaking but voice steady. Look at God!

Personal Development: The Growth Saga

2024 was the year I finally started treating myself like the premium product I am. Landed two contracts worth serious six figures each. The funny part? Clients didn't even try to negotiate – maybe I was still undercharging?

But let's talk about that burnout though. Trying to juggle multiple jobs plus side gigs? Nearly sent me to the shadow realm. Had a mini burnout that had me questioning all my life choices. Made some tough decisions because peace of mind > bank alerts. Started outsourcing gigs and actually saying "no" to projects – growth, but make it sustainable.

The Support System: Friendship Tales

The Squad Goals

Got blessed with the kind of friends movies are made about. Both online and offline crews showing up like they're being paid for it (they're not, which makes it even more special).

The Growth Together

Even had some friendship drama, but like proper adults (or something close to that), we always found our way back. There's this different energy when you walk into a room and people are genuinely happy to see you – that's been my 2024. From random calls just to check in, to friends who'd drop everything to help debug code at 2 AM. The real MVPs!

Family Ties: The Home Front

The Japa Chronicles

I don’t talk about my family that much, But being one of five boys at home hits different when most of your siblings have taken the japa route. It's just me, my elder bro (Mr. Senior Product Designer), and my cousin holding down the fort in Nigeria while everyone else is discovering snow. I mean at this point I still have other missions in this country, God Knows.

The Proud Dad Moment

You see, African parents have this PhD in hiding emotions that no university offers. My dad? He's like the professor emeritus of that department. Growing up, getting a "not bad" from him felt like winning a Grammy.

The journey started small – helping with utility bills here, sending some cash for groceries there, helping my parents financially no matter how much. Made my old man visibly proud for the first time since secondary school days. If you know Nigerian dads, you know this is like winning a medal. He actually smiled! Not the usual half-smirk, but a real smile!

Kept thinking about how far we'd come from the days of "are you sure you know what you’re doing all night with that computer." Full circle moment? Nah, full stadium moment!

Academic Finale: The Graduation Story

The Work-Study Balance

Graduated! But oh boy, the journey there was something else. Battling grades while working full-time is like trying to eat soup with a fork – possible but requires serious skills and probably a towel nearby. By this time, I had started a new job too.

The Great Deception

That time I had to fake attending a burial to prepare for tests? Classic case of "things we do for juggling education." The funny part was coming back to work and seeing my GitHub showing 134 contributions to private repos. Busted! Got kicked from Slack, Trello and the project faster than you can say "standup meeting."

Of course, I got laid off for that incident during my third year, but I guess all of that is behind me now.

The Experience Portfolio: Living Life

Social Calendar Highlights

2024 blessed me with experiences that sound made up but they're all real:

• Birthday celebrations that actually surprised me (hard to do, but they managed)

• First "real" relationship that taught me more about myself than any self-help book

• Netflix and chill sessions that were actually about Netflix (sometimes)

• Tech events that turned into networking goldmines

• Campus social events that proved school isn't all about books

The Victory Lap: Major Wins

• Got paid in USD

• Exceeded my financial goal x5 (even I myself could not believe it)

• Started Hitting the Gym, Started getting Shredded

• Got a MacBook, Upgraded my setup

• Launched three products that people actually use

• Built over 8 personal projects (VC-Blocks NPM package, Buy Arena, DeChange, VAC, Bazaaz, Bulldorizer NPM Package, Craftcon, ytdl)

• Finally learned to express feelings without using memes

• Graduated without any carryovers and earned a Second Class Honor(miracle working God)

• Developed confidence that's actually backed by skill

• Learned to say no to projects

• I updated my portfolio multiple times

• Won cash from a Hackathon

• Got a lot of new pairs of shoe

• I was happy for most parts of the year

The Learning Curves: Setbacks and Challenges

Keep it real hours? Here are the L's I took:

• The upskilling plans that remained plans

• Withdrew from gigs (harder than breaking up)

• Lost some crypto investments (thanks to degen boys and the bear market)

• Got fired for the first time (character development episode)

• Flopped a Turkish company interview (hubris is expensive)

• Spent money onetime like I had discovered a money tree

• Learned that crypto charts can go down faster than they go up

• Discovered that "emergency funds" are actually necessary

The Wisdom Chronicles: Lessons Learned

2024 taught me more than my entire university education:

• Peace of mind is the real wealth

• You can't save your way to wealth with a small income

• Good work + visibility = endless opportunities

• Value freedom over golden handcuffs

• Invest in yourself first, always

• Relationships (all types) need intentional nurturing

• Being authentic attracts authentic people

• It's okay to outgrow situations and people

• Health (mental and physical) is actual wealth

Said N Done - The Closing Chapter

Looking back at 2024, it's been a whole movie – complete with plot twists, character development, and a soundtrack of keyboard clicks and notification pings. Sometimes I wonder where I'd be without writing code, without the Twitter Community I had, without those chance encounters in second year. But hey, it is what it is.

Hit about 68% of my undocumented goals (note to self: maybe document them next time?). Stepping into 2025 with more excitement than a kid who just discovered ice cream exists, because right now, the only way is UP. 2024 I made money, but 2025 I want a billion more.

Through the chaos came order, I mean the country became harder, prices of things also became twice as much, through the struggles came strength, and somehow, ended up happier than ever. To everyone who's been part of this journey – the friends who became family, the mentors who became friends, the clients who became references, and even the challenges that became lessons – thank you.

As we say in tech…

WAGMI! (And this time, I actually believe it).