Memoirs of Salim — My first time speaking at a physical tech event
This brief was written while listening to Ed Sheeran’s First Times repeatedly. Also, you would notice my constant use of “I think” across this piece. The reason for this goes back to what I seek to achieve with each epoch (this is the third epoch) of these memoirs — to document my thought process as I maneuver this life of a thing.
First times are beautiful. I cannot quite explain it, but I think there is something magical about doing/experiencing something for the first time. Like a child walking for the first time, once we make that first leap, then comes a time when we marvel at everything around us. On a personal note, I would stare in awe while trying to comprehend the magic as it unfolds in front of my eyes. I would remember it for a long time until it fizzles out and becomes nothing but a blur. In a bid to avoid the blur, I now put a premium on writing about my first times. At least, for the sake of memories. Two days ago, I had another first time — I spoke at a physical tech event for the first time and here’s how that some random kid from some random suburb town in the outskirt of Lagos hosted a session at the Microsoft African Development Centre in Lagos, Nigeria.
The occasion was the techies meetup and my session required me and my co-speaker to show attendees how to create an outstanding resume on GitHub and have it published on Azure Static Web Apps.
Since I said thanks for listening to this session on Wednesday’s afternoon, I have spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about the journey to that point. In Kevin Durant’s 2014 MVP acceptance speech, he said;
“I don’t know about you all, but when something good happens to me, I tend to look back at the journey and what brought me here.”
This piece is me looking back. Admittedly, hosting a physical session (albeit one’s first) at the Microsoft African Development Centre would normally not be reason enough to write a medium article but not for me. For a bit of context on how I got here, I would touch on two stories, each with two different important lessons.
GROWTH HAPPENS IN THE DISCOMFORT ZONE
On a cold evening in November 2021, after much hesitation, I filled the application form for the position of the public relations officer of the student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in my school. Now, for as long as I can remember, I have not always done well whenever I had to speak in public. Fundamentally, I think I am a shy person. Some nights when I sleep, I still see 14-year-old Salim fidgeting whilst his voice quivered when he had to present to everyone in his secondary school. Or maybe I don’t. But then, for sure, that’s an experience I would like to forget — along with almost every other time. That being said, I think the beautiful thing about not being good at something is that you can only get better from there. You know that thing they say about when you hit rock bottom, it is great because the only way from there is up. I understood that I struggle with public speaking, recognized how important getting better at it is, and I made strides towards getting better. About three months before I filled that application form, I had taken a course on oral communications for engineering leaders from the Rice University. Filling that form that cold evening was another one of these strides. Of course, I realized that the role would need me to speak publicly (which I would normally avoid as much as I could) but then, I figured that if I had to speak, I would have to speak (now read that again) and then growth happens in the discomfort zone.
Since then, I have had to talk to an audience a couple of times and although I am not quite where I would love to be as regards speaking publicly, I think I have made progress. AlhamduliLlah for growth.
IF YOU WAIT LONG ENOUGH, THE DOTS ACTUALLY DO CONNECT
On the first day of November 2022, I got an invitation mail from Juan, the Student Program Manager at GitHub Education to join the campus-experts organization on GitHub. This was an aftermath of another application form I had filled about three months before to be a GitHub Campus Expert. You see, GitHub Campus Experts are student leaders that strive to build and grow a diverse tech community on their campus and now, I was one. Being a GitHub Campus Expert was very key to me giving a session two days ago and here’s why. When Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors like me initially got the opportunity to be event day volunteers, I opted to join the front desk/registration team. I figured that in that role, I would get to meet new people and make valuable connections with other volunteers, attendees and speakers whilst positioning myself to have to communicate. However, when Japhlet, the Cloud Advocate at Microsoft who is the mastermind behind the event asked if any GitHub Campus Expert would like to volunteer to host one of the breakout sessions that encapsulates the essence of GitHub, I thought that if there’s any role that would get me out of my comfort zone to grow, it is probably this one.
SALIM AND THE MICROSOFT FAN BOY-ISM
Now, make no mistake about it, I am a proper Microsoft (and GitHub) fan boy. I say this because I think I tick all the boxes for what would make a fan boy — advocacy, brand loyalty, excitement for new releases, participation in Microsoft Communities and being knowledgeable about Microsoft products. As a matter of fact, about seven months ago, I wrote about a thousand words on how Microsoft inspires me as a student developer. As such, I think this fanboyism made the experience from two days ago even more special. It’s something tending towards what the cool kids would refer to in the “isn’t it poetic that…” context. Although, I do not think that giving my first session at Microsoft qualifies as poetic, I definitely feel like it made it a tad more special.
THE SESSION IN ITSELF
The session we were to take at the event was slated for forty minutes. So, imagine how tensed I was when fifteen minutes in, we had not started. Although this delay was due to reasons beyond our control — the projector just wouldn’t project my screen on the board for attendees to see, I was still feeling very anxious. Now, put in mind that our session is completely hands-on and trying to explain without being able to project would be similar to trying to make pounded yam without the pestle and mortal. As each minute passed and members of the other breakout session got the ball rolling in their respective breakout rooms, I kept thinking this can’t be it. We (my co-speaker, Husseinat and I) had invested a lot of time, energy, and effort into preparing for these forty minutes and I felt a sense of futility or helplessness in the face of circumstances beyond my control. However, Husseinat seemed really relaxed and calm. I would later borrow some of her equanimity whilst believing we would find a solution and get the session done regardless — yes, we did.
We ended up finding a way around it all — I mean, we are engineers, got the ball rolling and still managed to finish the session in time. A little unrelated but it was super awesome to connect with some of the attendees (who had follow-up questions time wouldn’t permit us to take at the event) via twitter and LinkedIn. I mean, isn’t networking the whole point of events like this?
This experience reminds me of one of the better yoruba adages I know — Ìbẹ̀rẹ̀ kọ́ l’oníṣẹ́, à fi ẹni tó bá fi orí tì í d’ópin which literally means a good worker is not necessarily the one who starts something, but the one who finishes it and boy, did we finish that session in a splendid manner!
Cheers to hosting more events
Finally, I would like to reiterate that first times are beautiful, and this experience was no different. Of course, being the first time, the experience was both exhilarating and intimidating and the fear of the unknown made me hesistant. However, I have come to realize that when we step out of our comfort zone and try something for the first time, we open ourselves up to new possibilities and experiences and that can be a chance to challenge ourselves in ways that we never thought possible.
In light of my experience at this event, I can confidently say that I am looking forward to more opportunities to speak at more physical tech events in the future. So, cheers to hosting more physical events that bring people together, spark innovation, and create lasting memories❤.️
Ciao,
Salim.
