“Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Robert Schuller

Aren't you making a mistake? You are definitely going the wrong way. It's not working because you are in it for the money. You lack the skills and keep missing opportunities. No one can even vouch for your skills, which shows you're not worthy. Worse still, your laptop just broke down in the middle of an important project—this is a sign that Machine Learning is not for you. I've had to deal with these discouraging thoughts once in a while during my tech journey.

In this article, I will be sharing the challenges I've faced and currently facing in my tech journey, and how I overcame them.

Major Challenges

Inferiority Complex

After surfing the internet, in a bid to find opportunities, there's always an aftereffect of incapability. Forgetting that growth comes from doing things you are unqualified for, I can't help but feel that, "Chidinma, you are not qualified for this opportunity."

Low self-confidence

Certainly, if you don't acknowledge the fact that you are different and unique, there won't be an evidence of confidence in yourself. I had to learn this the hard way. During an interview I was "fitting" to attend, I didn't feel confident in the answers I gave. At the end of the interview, not to sulk over my "evident failure", I kept myself busy by watching movies all day.

Ignorance and absence of timely resources

My laptop broke down when I was taking an introductory course on Python. It was frustrating, and apparently, I didn't know it was possible to code with a phone. It did cost me a long period of no coding and no growth.

Insufficient Funds

Taking an online course is quite fulfilling. However, I would also analyse the duration of the course because of the high data charges involved. It is a big concern for me as, sometimes, I won't have sufficient funds to buy a data plan. That's why I usually settle for self-paced courses.

The Way Forward

In all of these challenges, I realize that no one is a fountain of knowledge. I feel grateful for my friends and role models, who encourages and inspires me. I was able to overcome the challenges and solace myself with these major nuggets:

• Be passionate about what you're doing.
• There's nothing like failing, but learning from your mistakes.
• Your career journey is unique to you.
• Be vulnerable and express yourself.
• You overcome bias by being unique.
• Do not underestimate the capacity of your ability.
• "It's a slow process, but quitting won't speed it up." ~Dr Bayo Adekambi

There's no basis for competition. Celebrate yourself.