SLC-S29/W5-“Thinking and Ideas!| Ideas That Failed (and Why)!”

It has always been my desire to bag a first class in the university, not because I was overly intelligent, but because I was just a determined person, someone who always hungered for success, but at some point, this hunger made me run mad. How? Just go through my experience in these questions.

Graduating with a first class on a B.Sc. degree was my plan that failed. You know that feeling when you're the director of academics and everyone wants you to lead them academically, but instead of directing people's attention towards attaining academic pursuits, you swayed. Can you imagine what that feels like? I'll describe it.

Many people feel that it's impossible to graduate with a first class without suffering physically, emotionally, and spiritually in the university. I wanted to dispute that lie; that's why when I entered the university, it was my determination to get a first class, and that came with a lot of determination.

When I first got into the university, I made sure that I understood the environment, spoke to senior colleagues about my plan, got advice, and utilized the advice given to me. I set a couple of strategic plans to help me achieve my goal because I was told the foundation of a first-class is in the first year of school. I attended tutorials after lectures; I never missed classes because I wanted to hear from the horse's mouth. I was always intentional about my going to school, trying to balance Steemit and my spirituality.

When I got to the hostel, I associated myself with 7 medical students who helped boost my level of seriousness for academics. Most times we went out for night class and read even when it wasn't even weeks to the exam. That's the plan I set for myself to help me achieve my feat. My parents thought I was doing too much because I neglected a lot of things just to be at a 4.8 at least before I graduated from the university.

My first year in school was a success, but not my second year. I was on a solid 5.0 in my first semester and a 4.92 in my second semester. That was a product of determination. Everything changed when I noticed a lot about me was suffering. My spirituality, physical well-being, mental health, and the fact that I didn't have money. I then told myself, what if I graduate with this first class without money? I'll be like those jobless first-class students who'll be roaming the streets for jobs.

All these thoughts came to me, and I came to see that if I continue like this, it may affect me later. First class in Nigeria is not really valued depending on the course of study. That's how the plan of graduating with a first class failed. My CGPA began dropping, and in my final year, I discovered I came out with a second class upper.

This was a slap to my face as the ex-director of academics. The position was taken away from me in my third year because I gave up on my plans. It was really painful, but then, I still value the fact that I didn't continue the pursuit. I don't know how much of a bigger person I would have been now. Why was I bad after this first class, and why did my plan on attaining such a feat fail?

My original intention behind getting this first class wasn't just about the prestige, the fame, and the challenge of showing people that first class can be attained without having to suffer in other aspects of our lives. It was my ambition to become a lecturer at the university. You'll definitely need to be in a first class if you want to confidently get such a position, and you'll need to further your studies to the master's level.

That's why I was seriously after this first class in the course of study or discipline I chose. I wanted to make my parents proud and thought first class was the key to doing that. I was so obsessed with having a white-collar job until my mentality changed in my third year.

It was a failed plan, not because I ignorantly failed, but because it was deliberate. It was later I came to realize that even as my plans for graduating with a first class failed, I felt disappointed and unfulfilled. I felt I let down a lot of people just for personal satisfaction and growth. So that was my original intention of chasing something of this magnitude.

It failed because I listened to discouragements from friends and family members. This was one of the major factors that made me sway. My friends told me I was reading too much and that I was suffering because of this first class. They told me if it were a professional course, it would have been better. My efforts would have been worth the stress and hustle I was doing to get this first class. Listening to the experiences of other first-class students who became job seekers and broke people after school changed my mentality.

	Running mad in school

Another reason was my inability to balance the four aspects of my life. If it were possible to create that balance, I would have still chased my first class even though I don't further it later. My mental health was suffering because I read too much, and I was lean. My physical health suffered too because I barely had a social life, and my appetite for food kept deteriorating. My spiritual life suffered deeply because I could barely have time for personal Bible reading and other spiritual activities.

I was just focused on conversing with people who shared my dreams and goals and made a lot of things suffer. I was dependent on my parents for every single dime, even data. It wasn't worth it. I felt it was my pursuit that made all these people suffer. I didn't know it was my inability to balance them that made them suffer, and before I could realize it, it was already too late.

Lack of money made my plans fail. I had this doubt in myself as the firstborn that the time I'm supposed to use to make money, I'm using it to chase what may not be useful to me in the future. These are the major factors that made my plan for bagging a first class fail.

I would have still proven that first class can be attainable without making different aspects of life suffer. If given the chance, I'll learn balance instead of craving too much for the first class. After all, most people out there have balanced lives still on first class. How are they doing it because my excuses for dropping out on that line were too flimsy?

If given a second chance, I'd let determination be my watchword, and I would give deaf ears to those trying to discourage me instead of helping me. I would have still had the money I have now and graduated well with a first class if I had balanced all my activities financially, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

If you were in my shoes in two good years of school, would you have given up if you had a well-paying job giving you $200 monthly? , knowing fully well that even if you graduate, you'll still hunt for a job, and your first class won't save you? This is my story.

I invite @shahidalinaz, @walictd, and @miftahulrizky.