When I landed back in Nigeria, I didn’t wait to “figure things out.” The very first thing I bought wasn’t new clothes or a welcome home treat, it was a laptop. Something about that moment felt symbolic: if I was going to rebuild my career, I needed the right tools.
Not long after, I enrolled at NIIT, the computer training school I’d heard so much about. My plan was simple: I want to learn Cybersecurity. But the instructors suggested I start with Network Engineering before diving into security. At first, it felt like a detour. Now? I am genuinely glad I listened.
That foundation changed everything.
When the cybersecurity classes began, the language no longer sounded foreign. Concepts that once felt intimidating started making sense. I could see how everything connected… systems, protocols, vulnerabilities. It didn’t just feel like learning; it felt like decoding a new world.
Eight months later, after juggling Network Engineering and Cybersecurity, I sat for my Cisco exams. Passing them should’ve made me feel like a pro, but instead… it revealed a gap. I realized I understood the theory, but theory alone doesn’t defend systems.
So I went searching for it.
I began my own research, following threads and topics that weren’t in any textbook. I enrolled in an OSINT course on Udemy and found myself fascinated by how much information the internet reveals if you know where to look. I started following top cybersecurity professionals, people building, breaking, and protecting systems every day. Watching their journeys gave me a roadmap, and sometimes, a much-needed reality check.
That’s how my real learning began not just from classrooms, but from curiosity and the decision to keep digging even when things didn’t fully make sense yet.
And honestly, that hunger to understand more has never left.
