During my NYSC in 2017/2018, I asked God - after now, what next? God told me not to apply for any job and just stay back in Uyo after my service.
After service, I left NCCF and rented a single bedroom accommodation (paid 30k yearly rent). About a month after NYSC (I think June), he told me that I was going to leave the country around July the next year (2019). I was so confident about this, and told everyone that cared to hear the good news. I didn't know how this would happen, but I trusted God enough to apply for my first international passport in September 2018.
In October 2018 I was depressed and wanted to give up on software development which I started in 2013 during my undergraduate years. I felt bad because some of my coursemates were already moving ahead, and I was stuck in a single room accommodation on instructions not to apply to any job. I remember tearing an application form I printed online, because God reminded me that it would be a waste of time to apply for a job and travel to Lagos for an interview I was still not going to get. I had past experiences where God proved his word, so I kept trusting him.
I even rejected a job offer of N200k in February 2019 because they refused to bump it up to N250k. My mum and sisters were shocked because it seemed fair for a first job. Only my dad understood when I told him that God told me not to apply to any company yet. If I had taken this job, this would have blocked what was bound to happen next.
In 2019, it was as though the clouds gathered, and in April I was accepted to participate in the hackathon at the first edition of @digitalexplorers, with hopes of being sponsored to relocate to Lithuania. I wasn't selected, but it marked the beginning of many international connections I received in 2019.
The next opportunity came in April, where I had a free mentorship from a tech recruiter (a senior developer at DeliveryHero - Berlin). He coached me and prepped me for a job at DeliveryHero with relocation support to Berlin Germany - we exchanged emails almost daily from April to July, where he taught me what knowledge to gain and how to answer interview questions. I still didn't get this job, but the rejection letter from DeliveryHero spurred me into applying for as many jobs as I came across.
I went back to God in prayer reminding him of His promise and its timing, because he promised me "outside country" by July and I still didn't get this one. He gave me a date: 4th of August. Nothing happened on that day, but he reassured me.
On 5th August, I signed my first employment contract with a Portuguese company. On 12th August 2019, I signed my second employment contract with an Australian company, and they immediately began the processing of my visa - I eventually dropped the Australian job because they were affected during the economic impact of the 2019 bush fires and COVID which followed afterwards.
I'm still in Nigeria though, but since then, I have worked remotely for multiple foreign companies till January 2025 when I decided to take a shot at building Nviti - an AI Customer Support assistant.
God's word came strong, and it has led me since then. It was worth following the voice in my head to guide me through the wilderness for a year because if I had taken the seemingly comfortable role, it probably would have taken me years to earn what I earned in my foreign job a month. The voice of God should be the first nudge to doing anything unhinged. Highly recommended.
What’s the most unhinged thing you’ve done to get ahead?