ARTICLE 1
QUESTIONS CRYING OUT FOR ANSWERS
ENGINEERING REVOLUTION VOL.2 (FEB.2009)
BY
AKANDE I. O
B.Eng.(Hons) University of Ilorin, Nigeria, Member; NSBE, NSE, IFAC, IAENG
Have you ever asked yourself, why you are studying ENGINEERING? There is always a purpose for every occurrence of an event; of what purpose are you in the Engineering? Engineering among young Engineers has not been challenging for ages, don’t you think there is a need for positive change? What do you even think of yourself? , a person of lower thinking perspective that cant impact positive change or someone that is determined, motivated and ready to exhibit his or her talent for positive change? A complete radical change is REVOLUTION in its subject, what do you think of ENGINEERING REVOLUTION? What is its occurrence going to be like in this country? When will this Revolution take place? Who are the people to start it? Hmmm! It’s a real big question and you seem to be getting bored, isn’t it? You see one major problem young Engineers encounter is PERSONAL DEPRESSION, why are you always looking down on yourself? I bet you, no one is created to be a dummy, all it takes is discovery. When will you discover those potentials in you? Are you going to let them waste like that? Look, stop thinking about your problems be it career or whatever, I believe there is always a cause for every problem, once you know the cause, you can work over it. The greatest problem is facing a problem you do not know the cause. You should be able to handle your problems before thinking of solving global problems facing Engineering.
Practicing Engineering in Nigeria (Africa) is nothing to write home about, why? Why has it been like that? Medicine and surgery has gained more recognition than Engineering and still they can’t do without working with instruments produced by Engineers everyday. For goodness sake when are we going to revive Engineering? Have you ever for once looked at everything around you and realize LIFE IS ALL ABOUT ENGINEERING? There is this saying that “Circumstances can be changed by revolution and revolution is brought about by men, men who think as men of action and act as men of thought”, who are these men? Are you part of them? These men should be nobody but YOUNG POTENTIAL GRADUATE ENGINEERS. Are you looking at yourself as one of these men? Did you really know the task ahead of you? Fellow young engineers, its time you realize there are lots of people out there looking up to you, people who think you can change their lives with your knowledge, thinking instinct and innovative ideas. All my life, I’ve always dreamt of revolutionizing Engineering but later discovered it’s not just a man’s job but a combinational effort of all Young Graduate Engineers.
“Inferior revolt in order that they may be equal and equals that they may be superior, such is the state of mind that creates revolution” of what state is yours? My Fellow Young engineers, we should see ourselves as Potential Engineers, Optimistic Engineers, Creative minded Engineers, Innovative Engineers and Revolutionaries. Let’s come together and exhibit our talents. Do not listen to saying like “a lot of people have tried this and nothing came out of it, so better do something else”, such people are called Dream killers and Enemies of progress.
Now how prepared are you for this race? Because a revolution is not a bed of roses but a struggle between the future and the past, be strong and don’t be scared because a revolutionary can only be jailed, you cannot jail a revolution. We need to go for extensive research in our respective fields of studies, build the ability of thinking beyond the normal, stop looking down on ourselves and keep our dreams alive. Dreaming is an ambition, another way of working towards success. Believe me, wise men don’t say “I shall live to do that”, tomorrow’s life’s too late, live today, and now is the right time to start the race of revolutionizing Engineering. I want us to know we are on the verge of history so don’t let us relent; we start from somewhere to get to the right destination. And as from now on, in anything you do, anywhere you are, any day and every moment, always remember that there is a need to be an “ENGINEERING REVOLUTION”.
ARTICLE 2
TALENT
IT’S IN YOU, DISCOVER IT
Akande I.O (September, 2010)
B.Eng.(Hons) University of Ilorin, Nigeria, Member; NSBE, NSE, IFAC, IAENG
It doesn't take a lot of time to change your life. All you need to do is set aside few minutes out of your day and think about your life. In one short sitting, you'll learn a bit more about yourself and the world you live in, and begin to take steps towards realizing the life you have always wanted. Believe in God and have faith in his powers but do not depend upon his powers for your actions. There has to be some element of commitment in you, because your future is in your hands while God can only influence. You are what you call yourself and you are whom you want to be in life. I believe there are people out there looking up to you as a focused, determined, strong minded, optimistic, motivated, confident, and a great man or woman, do you want to let them down ? They believe in you, they believe you can make a difference in their lives and they believe you have what it takes to stand up to the challenges of life. Remember when you're up, you make everyone happy, but when you're down, everyone suffers. "In life, we face difficulties and hardships because life is about striving. The people who are going to succeed are those who are able to push that extra mile. Are you willing to push that extra mile today?
Just like this popular Guinness advert “there is an element of greatness in everybody”, I believe its true, what it takes is discovery, you’ve got to discover yourself today. Discover who you truly are, discover what your greatest potential is, discover what you do and always make you happy. The one name to describe all this is called “TALENT”, discover your talent. Every one of us is born with the ability to be great at something. The secret lies in identifying that ability and putting it to work for you. There is noting like falling in love with what you do because only then will you go extra mile to achieve your goal. The author of this article asked quite a number of successful people: what made you successful? Everyone’s story was different, but one factor was the same for all – all successful people know where their talents lie, and they create and are guided by a clear personal vision. They know what they are and they know where they’re going. They have constructed an accurate and targeted picture of themselves and their talents and of the work that expresses their talents best. Only you know all the answers you need to find the right fit. They are inside you right now.
In this current trend of employment in Africa, Nigeria to be precise, talent discovery tends to be the order of the day. You just have to figure this out yourself. The battle for employment is getting fierce and only those with intense potential survives. Unlike before that there are few people with good grades (First class, Second class upper-2.1 and Upper credit), nowadays, there are thousands of graduates with these grades and the struggle becomes severe.
It now takes a strong motivation to succeed. Motivation is the driving force behind success, and without a strong passion, you will never reach your fullest potential. So just how important is motivation for the attainment of your highest goals and aspirations? Well simply put, it is absolutely essential and indispensable. Apart from discovering yourself, you have to be highly self motivated in what ever you do. It is indispensable, and therefore igniting the fire and passion within you is the first step to the fulfillment of your wildest dreams and ambitions.
Never look down on yourself and always keep your dreams alive because dreaming is an ambition, another way of working towards success. Do not be deceived by dream killers, you‘ve got to stick your to your decision, don’t let them bring you down, always listen to your inner thought. God has created us to be magnificent in life, such that if we are about to make mistake or take the wrong step, the inner spirit will tell us. The only problem most people not just youth alone faces is the inability to listen to what our minds tells us. Believe me you can never be deceived by your true self which is YOU. You’ve got to learn how to win the battle between you and yourself.
In life, making a difference is like throwing a pebble in a pool. The ripples spread from the center to larger and larger circles of influence. It begins within you. Find your dream again. Shake off the dust. Put it before you and say, "Hello, I'm back! "Get reacquainted! You have to take the right step now, nobody is born to be a dummy because you are born to be productive, so feel the energy in you and use it optimally. Feel the excitement, enthusiasm, fire and passion, overflowing within, calling you to movement and action.
Remember that, people don’t drown by falling in water but they drown by staying there. “Waves are inspiring not just because they rise and fall, but because each time they fall, they never fail to rise again." Ups and downs are part of life and inspire us not to lose heart in failure because you can only fail if you choose to. Always remember that, no matter how weak you are, no matter how strong you are, no matter what you do & no matter how you do it, what you dream to become in life is always in your hands. Believe me, It’s In You Discover It!
Appendix
Publications
§ Akande I.O, (September, 2010), “Talent; It’s In You, Discover It” A personal development article for graduates and youths in general.
§ Akande I.O, (April, 2010), “You Are What You Call Yourself and You Are Whom You Want To Be”, Inspirational Article for Youths.
§ Akande, .I.O (June, 2010). “Road Incident Consultant Intelligent Decision Support System (RICIDSS)”, Research Paper (W-10-13/no:15), International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) Workshop on Intelligent Control System (WICS) First Call for Paper, September 29 - October 2, 2010, Sinaia, Romania.
§ Akande I.O, (April, 2010), “Transition from Industrial Automation (I.A) to Complete Industrial Automation (C.I.A)”, Research Paper (LCA008), Accepted by ACCA Congress 24-27 August, 2010 committee of IFAC, Santiago, Chile.
§ Akande I.O, (February, 2009), “Questions Crying out for answers, Engineering Revolution”, World Wide Web (Internet) Motivational Article for Young Graduates.
Notes
You can visit the website below for your career and job opportunities, I believe its your time, just be confident in whatever you do. You can also send me your views through my email or leave a comment on my website stated below on how you feel about this publication and what contribution and advice you have for young graduates. This will be noted for the next release. Thank you.