New Chapter - The meaningful bits

A lot has changed in the last 3 months of my life. I moved to a new country and decided to commit to something new. I have always loved traditional learning and decided to go back to school to get a master's degree in Artificial Intelligence. It is a goal I have nurtured and tried to achieve for over 2 years now.

I have met and made new friends, encountered amazing people and professors, and explored parts of this new country. There are amazing sceneries, beautiful parks, great nightlife, ambitious leaders, and different cultures from all over the world.

I have started to do a lot of math, write a lot of research, and complete numerous assessments. Discussing and getting feedback from my professors has been a valuable addition to my growth since I come from a very different background. I have about four blocks, and my journey through some of them has been amazing.

I have also learned to cook my favourite Nigerian dishes because, boy, it is more expensive here than back in Nigeria. Getting a new role has been somewhat difficult due to visa regulations and other factors we will discuss later.

The downside of moving to a new country is that it gets stressful, scary, and lonely. There is a lot to take in, adapt to, and learn. I have been open-minded to these things, but somehow I miss my old life. I miss the people I cared about, my girlfriend, my friends back in Nigeria, and my father. We have more conversations than ever, and his advice has been the strength I needed during these times. These experiences have made me eternally grateful to everyone around me who cared about me and supported my growth. I know a lot of people want me to grow, but sometimes it gets really lonely out here. We had a very big sense of community back in Nigeria, but here it's different. It's like everybody has their own thing going on, and this is a huge cultural shift. I know some people living my reality, feeling lost after changing environments and starting afresh, the sense of belonging but being scared of not fully belonging, and the energy needed to maintain past relationships.

My goals have also changed considerably. I now understand that achieving things for myself is impactful, but looking at the bigger picture, I need to engage in things that truly impact society. This change in goals caused me to lose my sense of direction for about a month or two. I couldn't tell what exactly I had to focus on besides my academics. I tried contributing to several open-source projects, but I failed to get the satisfaction I craved. I changed my perspective from being a doer to focusing on impact, hoping that my sense of satisfaction might be fulfilled.

The summer is coming, and this gives me some time to explore my options and decide what crazy things I should embark on. Should I build a project, explore AI and Robotics internships, contribute to open source, open a YouTube channel, explore groundbreaking papers in tech, or critique new AI products? One thing is sure: the future is uncertain, but my perspective towards engineering has changed. I am conserving my energy for the most important projects.

I am grateful for this bold step, and I’m sharing this to inspire anyone out there who is brave enough to pursue their dreams and take bold steps. I have to go now as I have papers to write. We will catch up in the early weeks of June. Bye for now.