Not exactly what you think. Starting out as an independent worker is not always a trek in the park. Azin ehn, getting the right resources, tools, guides, grants and the drives could be something tedious, boring and even more. And by far, it's not always bed of roses for those already in business. We just gats to keep moving with industry, pushing on to the next things and opportunities.

I've met amazing people this year 2017; startup who were won-over by my type of job. It looks fun right?: working at my own pace, for a number of bosses, plus the freedom to take-up personal contract at the same time. But that's just ONE of the many benefits and conditions attached to being a digital hustler.

Notable among my audience were two startup who approached me on things; one was looking to start a career in web design, while the other one considered taking to blogging. I couldn't just help but ask myself "what the heck had been holding them from starting". But then, sometimes there's always a good number of valid heckes.

I told the latter a lot about what blogging entails; commitment, creativity, consistency, right strategy and more. I later gave him an homework on content management system (CMS), telling him to do few findings on wordpress, and that he should get back to me (with his findings). But then, that happened to be the last time I heard back from him. I mean like seriously, we hadn't even say hi as we used to say before his interest. Gosh, I'd have just wanted my hi back.
Not funny enough, my intention was to get him a blog and cover the cost.

The other one (web design) complained bitterly he’s not equipped with necessary tools, particularly computer; telling me he'd had gone far with the right tools in place. So what I did was gave him a laptop with which he could use learn, practice and launch out a career.

One of the first distress sign I observed about him was data (internet). He told me “computer go dey chop data o”, of which I didn't dispute. But then, as of then, he had about 6 gig of data allocation on his mobile network. Overall I admitted it would be something he would have to hustle with. But first, I took him through the basics and also gave him links of easy resources he could use to learn efficiently.

Unfortunately, as at the time I'm writing this, my computer is lying waste there with him, without any sign he'd one day get to work.

What am I even saying here. What if I told you I started my first blog on a symbian phone sometimes in 2012. I set up the blog then via the google blogspot platform. As a matter of fact, it took me pretty much many months later before I could see what it (the blog page) looks like on a proper computer.

What if I told you I was also running the blog with 10mb normally allocated upon 100 naira airtime recharge (mtn). Between 2012 and 2015, it's either my old computer is faulty, or I couldn’t readily afford big bogus data nor a time / ticket at cyber café. Things were not very easy; it was even heck blogging with symbian phone, plus readily having 100 naira (to purchase 10mb) was a thing of challenge. 

So I had to start somehow, rugged as it is, as a matter of fact foolishly. Yes I could clearly recall I had no particular niche, but dropping different subject as they come, without a focus or order.

One thing was only clear, I was going to blog and I strongly believe in it. I became so persistent and desperate and became somewhat bothersome to my closed ones. At a time, they started finding me annoying for always sticking glued to either phone or pc, on which I spend time on.

Nonetheless over time, I was able to learn and mastered as many technicality which abound blogging. These I picked up each time I needed to integrate something into my blog, but didn’t know how; I would go online to make searches on how to, and by so doing, I started picking up knowledge of html, css and java which are all key to site building. Yet, all those while I wasn’t making a single dough on my effort and time. Errmm, I was broke to the core to the point some (closed ones) mocked me I was only wasting my time. Yet I kept doing it, what I believe in, and year later, my then blog happened to earn me my first ever job (-after factory chapter; story for another day).

You'll think I've finally made it. No, the job happened to challenged me further to design a mandatory business website (professionally). Need I tell you also how my past experience on html came to assist. Though I also learnt new approaches albeit on my own, it took me just a little effort to digest things, thanks to my rugged background. These all combined to finally earn me what I could call certification on web design. Yes the (first professional) website I built had gotten many positive review as well as plaudits till date, being project zero of a fast rising creative design agency. It's more like a reference site for creative professionalism and a template of creativity, a standard which you really can't beat.

Oh, have I just boasted? But ever since, I've gone to design a good number of sparkling website and still counting. To God be the glory.

Now this whole talks isn't just about me. I’m not saying I’m the best. I’m not yet where I want to be just yet, as a matter of fact, I’m not even close.

You want to become this, you see prospect in that. In the other one you also found passion. But you are broke, you don’t know how, no mentor to put you through, no tools to work with. You gats to trust me if I told you I know how it feels. But the question would always remained how badly do you want it. Just how so badass are you

Tobi Boye Tosin

is a tech lover, a passionate internet technologist, believer and a visioner

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