If you know me, you know I love gadgets! But that’s not the only reason I studied a subject that, at the time, many felt was not for girls.
I’ve always had a mind of my own, and my parents never forced anything on me – hobbies, subjects to study, career, etc. – they left me to do what I felt would make me happy. This is probably one of the most important things that parents need to do, but unfortunately, there are still many that force their wards into areas they are not very interested in.
So anyway, choosing my own path is the one thing I always pride myself in.
Studying pure Science at the Senior High School level in Ghana was, however, not one of those choices I made myself. My teachers felt I could do it, even though I had decided I’d pursue General Arts.
Why General Arts? I loved and still love the arts. Creative art and fine arts make me happy. I loved to paint and sketch as a child, so I thought my natural path would be to get into the arts.
Nonetheless, I agreed to try out Science in Senior High School. I figured I would lose nothing since I could always get back into art if I wanted to. Yes, my mind travelled that far at that age 😀
Between Senior High School and University
My first term in school was complex, but I got excited when we were learning physics. And although I failed in the first term, I made sure that never happened again until I completed my senior high school education.
While deciding on how to continue after school, I was not sure if I wanted to go straight into the university or do some side courses.
Low key, I don’t like school that much -_-
We had to wait a year before applying to universities, so I decided to upgrade my computer skills. I attended NIIT Ghana and studied their CompTIA A+ Hardware and N+ Networking courses. I loved those classes.
When it was time to choose a school and a subject, I wasn’t sure what to do. I considered going to the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST). They were new at the time and I had read about how they teach computer skills while emphasising the entrepreneurial side. But eventually, I decided against it.
I knew I wanted to do something Physics related, but I was torn between Mechanical Engineering and Electrical/Electronic Engineering. You already know what I decided on finally.
As for choosing a school, that was a whole other story but I ended up at the Regional Maritime Academy, which became the Regional Maritime University in my first year.
Work, School, Work
After my National Service, which I carried out at the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, I got into Oceaneering International Services Ltd. They provide offshore oil & gas subsea services. I joined as a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Pilot/Technician, a job I loved until I decided to quit in December 2017 to return to school.
I headed to France to pursue a Master’s in Electronic Embedded Systems. During my final internship to validate my program, I got into Elwave, a startup developing a new technology proximity sensor for subsea vehicles (think submarines, UAVs, ROVs). This was the perfect spot for me.
I was privileged to be retained after my internship and have remained with this company since then.
A New Mission
I am currently on a mission to serve. Sharing my story/my journey with the younger generation is an excellent initiative to help prepare them for their engineering journeys.
When I started my own journey, mentorship or career coaching tailored specifically to this domain were not a thing. Today, technology makes things easier and possible. I want to help people avoid the grave mistakes I may have made, prepare to jump the hurdles that are unavoidable, and maybe, just maybe, figure out what exactly suits them the best in their field earlier than I did.
I have embarked on this new journey, curating group coaching and one-on-one coaching programs to help people start off their engineering careers on the right foot.
It is an opportunity to learn from my experience over the years, get the knowledge I didn’t have when I started out and be better prepared to face the inevitable challenges that come with the title Engineer.
I’m also available if you would like to book a call to just talk about how I can help you.