I posted this on linkedin, and was amazed at the number of professionals who related to my story,
so i thought i would share it here also, like they say faith is made stronger by testimony,
so if you got a story you want us to hear, career wise, pls post it below, and let someone learn from it.


It was Confucius that said “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence”, and I believe same to be true.
It’s great to be part of the linkedin family, cos that’s how I see it. Viewing various profiles of seasoned professionals, keeps me inspired each time.
However getting started has been an herculean task so far, no one seems to be willing to give me a shot, at anything, and this cannot be far from my poor G.P.A, I guess each time a recruiter sees my resume for a graduate/entry level position, he says to himself, this is my kinda guy, then all of a sudden he looks at my G.P.A and is disappointed, who can blame him, they are absolutely right. Why should I get a shot at same opportunities that are meant for students who graduated top of their class, students who gave their time and sacrificed a lot to achieve academic excellence? Absolutely no reason.
I should have known better, I had it in me to become the best academically, perfect grades at primary level, amongst the best in my class during my secondary/high school, but somewhere along the line I missed the point, I lost my focus, I make no excuses for my failures. I am totally responsible for failing to give my best.
What have I done to better myself?
If there is anything I have learned, through this experience, it’s that I can be better than I have ever been, there is always room for improvement, you don’t stop learning, because that’s the evidence that you are alive. Mistakes are a result of wrong choices, and most times they will have consequences, but I can’t let them define me forever. I know I have got potentials; I just need the opportunity to prove it.
As a graduate engineer, I have taken steps to acquire as much hands on experience as I could, because sometimes mistakes gives us opportunity to learn something valuable, acquire a new skill, build a lasting relationship, coming out better and stronger. Sometimes I sit and imagine how I would have turned out, had I gone to the perfect school, made the perfect grades, and gotten the perfect job, I would have been one brilliant dude, with no life’s experience of the challenges and advantages of failure. In as much as I am not proud of the past, I am glad it taught me the lessons of life. Now I have accepted that people will judge me, make assumptions about my past, probably never give me a chance to prove my worth, but I will never give up on myself. To me this whole experience has been an eye opener, proving to me that I didn’t know it all, it showed me that I couldn’t always have my way, it has humbled me beyond what words can describe, and now I am ready to become the best I can be.
All I need is that one chance at a real job, an opportunity to build a career as an engineer, facing challenges and proffering solutions to help make a better and safer planet earth.
I have got a lot of experience with troubleshooting and maintenance of computer systems, skills I picked up along the way, never went for any formal training just delved into it as a way of developing my problem solving skills. Some experience in maintenance of mechanical systems, especially heavy duty diesel engines, gave me an opportunity to sharpen my technical abilities. My strengths definitely lie in my ability to grasp technical concepts, with a sound mechanical and IT aptitude. I truly love a challenging environment, because it keeps me on my toes and makes me realize that I have got to keep giving my best to stay relevant. As I set my sight on securing a job, and building my career, I believe that I have got the right mindset and necessary tools (skills), to make a difference and contribute to the success of your firm. All I need is the opportunity.

Regards

Kingsley