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From Hustle to Hope: My Journey Through Challenges and Change

Hoping for a brighter future

Everyone has a story to tell, and this is mine.


I come from a humble background—poor, to be honest, because there’s no point dressing it up. I was a bright student, excelling in primary school and ranking among the top ten in secondary school at Majidun Grammar School in Lagos. But life began to present its challenges.


After high school, my journey to higher education became a long and winding road. I took the JAMB exam four times, each attempt stretching my patience and pushing time further out of my favor. I learned firsthand that lacking the right information can be a crippling disadvantage.


So I had to settle for Polytechnic Ibadan, not to grow gray hair while waiting for university 😅


I completed my National Diploma in Computer Science, even going as far as developing my own software as a project. Those who knew me back then may remember me as “Surdson,” a nickname from my Nacoss days, ONE NACOSS!!


However, life took another harsh turn after my diploma. I recall a particular day when my friend Isaac and I approached a tech company in Challenge, Ibadan, to inquire about furthering our IT training there. We were informed that each of us would need to pay a fee of 90,000 Naira per month 🤒. It was a moment of realization—I saw clearly how critical financial resources are and knew I needed to find work, to “hustle.”


My journey began with teaching, moved through various jobs (Sales boy) , and eventually led to a position as a merchandiser for Nigerian Breweries. Let’s be real—no fancy job title can mask the reality of lifting crates and stocking shelves.


A merchandiser’s role, in essence, is to ensure a brand’s products are well-displayed and visible in stores, constantly refilling shelves to keep them stocked and organized. Nigerian Breweries specializes in beverages, primarily beers. So, when you see bottles neatly arranged, rest assured that’s the merchandiser’s handiwork. This job taught me resilience, Omo eyes don see 🤒 but I had to ask myself some hard questions: As a Computer Science graduate, was this really adding value to my life? Was this helping me move closer to my goals, or was it simply a means to an end?


I was earning 55,000 Naira a month, stationed on Victoria Island in Lagos—a high-cost area with expenses that were overwhelming. I also had responsibilities to send support home and manage my own basic needs. The answer became clear: there was no future for me in this position.


So, what was my way forward? What was my "Plan B"? I didn’t have one. Like so many others, I continued to hustle, hoping that somehow, a new door would open.


If you’re reading this, perhaps you can relate. You might be working a job that feels stagnant, unsure of where it leads, but without a better option on the horizon, you press on, hoping for a breakthrough. And for me, that breakthrough came when a friend introduced me to a new opportunity through F.H.G.


Appreciate my Sponsor, my Switcher , the one who discover the greatness in me by telling me about the opportunity F.H.G brings , MISS OLUWASEYIFUNMI AJAYI.


Want to know more about F.H.G ? Read the related blog below 👇

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