"The discomfort of not knowing what comes next is undeniable" those are words of Ida Persson.

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"The discomfort of not knowing what comes next is undeniable." - Ida Persson

I relate with this, especially as a new grad around this part of the world where opportunities are limited even when you have the right skillset, qualified and is/are the right person for a job.

What comes next?

I've been having conversations with my friends, acquaintances and a lot of other people inside and outside of technology on how life is treating them outside of school. The replies have been both good and bad!

I graduate in April with a degree in Software Engineering with Multimedia, I've been working professionally as a freelancer, contractor and consultant for three years now in product design building software with software teams. Yet, the very thought that I am outside of school and about to face reality now scares me very, very much!

After all, it's just working right now, right? Same thing! I have been doing this and going to school for the last three years so why the stress? Why budge? I don't know, honestly. And I don't think I should be scared either, but looking at the country I am situated in and seeing what's happening in the tech industry globally has got to me, I guess. The mass layoffs... Other people more experienced than me posting that "Hiring is broken" and "it's hard to get a job in tech right now." HECTIC and SCARY!!!

I am coming from school and going into a pool where unemployment rate is high. Except, I have a track record, I have worked on some pretty interesting projects and some big ones too. I also even interned at the Office of the President under The Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Well, with all that, some part of me knows I didn't get there by only luck, I grinded to get there. Yet, I was feeling that way, that I had been lucky all along.

My very good friend and brother, recently had to relocate to do a master's degree in computer engineering. In the conversations we have, he's mostly asking: What's your next plan? Will you be leaving the country to further your studies after you graduate? Are you staying? You know there are better opportunities for you outside here, right?

On a call the other time, he lost it and told me I didn't want to decide on furthering my studies at a master's level because of complacency, he said I make a little money to take care of myself and I wanted to stay because of "Beach Road and the baby dem" meaning beach road, which is along the coast of the Atlantic, Lumley Beach and the girls.

His assumption about staying for the beach or the girls wasn't true, yet I felt hurt and haunted by that statement. Because even though, they weren't, the underlining thing was I was complacent, afraid maybe? or say too calculated? Observing and deciding what my next move in this game of life should be...

In that moment, two things became apparent, I had to stay or leave. My plan had always been to stay, have a local business and then a remote job at the same time. Whilst the local business could help local companies and businesses reach the next level in their journey using tech, the remote job, I could get more experience from, and it could fund my lifestyle.

It was either that or pursue a master's degree, which honestly is not my favourite option, I felt I needed a break before going back to school. And I didn't want to do this...

Screenshot of an X post by Buerkii

I found that post funny and interesting as hell, because another friend had told me that was his approach, click here for full X interaction of that post.

Either way, the Salone tech community is young or rather not existent at all at this point in time. There is no market for tech yet in Sierra Leone, if there is that I don't know about, I'm about certain the compensation is not good.

What now? Any way forward?

Naval Ravikant says there are three major questions to ask yourself when you are in your early or mid-twenties:

• Where you live
• Who you are with
• What you are doing

Naval elaborates on those points in the video here.

Disco Lu a design advocate at Figma, in one of his articles on Smashing Magazine said he had to relocate from his country to another place because things weren't going well for him. And upon relocating, things immediately went magical...

Reiterating the words of Disco Lu, I also think it is amazing what a bit of direction can do for one's motivation.
So, yea, I probably need to do that too - relocate.

Relocate via work or go do a master's degree to stand a better chance at life's game, I am tired, ah taya wit EDSA dem alaki and the oda alaki dem na dis kontri, so cards are on the table, time to gamble away!

Photo by Kendall Hoopes on Pexels