Are You Still Trying To Avoid Your Problems? By Alayo Buhari

When you avoid your problems, they don’t just fade away. Well, on my part, I had to learn this the hard way.

Sometimes it takes losing something to wake up your subconscious. As stated by a lecturer in his class, development communication in Nigeria is a misplaced priority. I cannot but just relate it to my dilemma.

HND2 is the "top-dog" for the first degree but what use is a dog that cannot bite nor at least, bark? Why is the final year so special? To me, it’s because it awakens you to reality. It is that one step leading you to the labour market. And at that point, you are compelled to ask yourself the hard question: "Am I really ready for the market?"

Right from time, I have had no problem with sentence construction or deconstruction; after all I survived Dr. Amos’ class – an English lecturer in Mass Communication department – and can very well give reasons.

While I am cognizant of this strength, my weakness keeps haunting me, needling me of the fact that I had not made effort where essentially needed.

For exams, it came easy-peasy passing them, but sadly! I paid no attention to honing relevant skills. Self-development, I never pursued.

What I never saw as a problem or rather saw as a minor one became a major one when I was asked to bring a published work for a journalism meet. I discovered I actually had nothing to show for all these years of training in writing and communication. I’m a to-be graduate in journalism but nothing to show for it over the years of being a student journalist. I can’t thump my chest and avow that I am a truly certified graduate in all ramifications. Sadly, I learnt that the hard way. However, this dilemma is poised to usher my introduction into the field of journalism.

It is not enough to be a certified journalist when you have nothing to show for it. I woke up to this reality having been called an internal decorator. I, however, won’t allow the same stumbling stone to trip me twice.

Now that I have come to the truth, I won’t let go. I feel the need more than ever to make this a clarion call to all who might be in the same situation as I am. Trust me, it is not too late.

Though not certain whether it is Thomas Edison or Joseph Swan that invented the light bulb, a popular story that circulated while I was growing up was that whoever it was tried 99 times and failed before putting in the last attempt and boom! It was a success. The point of the story is: till you get to the zenith, never give up, even if it means trying again with fresher methods.

I tripped on my stumbling block but guess what, I’m ready to pick it up and build a castle out of it. Because I can and I will.

And to you, ensnared in one difficulty or the other, know this: problems run faster when you avoid them. Facing them, however, doesn’t determine success but you will never be at the same point you started.

Alayo Buhari is an HND2 student of the department of Mass Communication