The Entrepreneurial Engineer (Best of both worlds)

"By the time I am done with you, Mathematics will be your best friend" My father's words sounded so cruel and mean at a very young age but as I began to mature, I realized that it was all for the best. His love for Maths and Art rubbed off on me in secondary school and my efforts to make him proud were always crowned with awards and recognitions. But unknowingly, my mother influenced me in a very subtle and unforeseen way. A lawyer by profession, she started her own business in Event Decorations and from a young age, I have watched her take on this business as a fourth child. Up until now, I never realized that I took something significant from both my parents to become the young man I am today. My love for Maths and Science came from my father, who made sure all his kids could do Maths in their sleep and my entrepreneurial spirit came from my mother, who is never afraid to take risks in order to start innovative and creative ideas.

Going through college has made me realize that a man is only bounded by his actions. I have tried out almost everything that college has to offer and all due to curiosity. My mother would often say, "Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back to life!" enforcing the fact that I should never be afraid to try something worth doing. I could be described as an engineering that loves to solve a problem with the skill set I possess. Creating value for people using the knowledge I have got is what I love to do.

Presently at IIT, I have been able to realize such aspiration through the Interprofessional Project Program (IPRO). Seeing an opportunity, I discovered an idea that could eventually help prevent drunk driving using sensor technology. But my love for business took it one step further and the idea became an Entrepreneurial IPRO. For the Fall 2009 semester, my idea became a class and I had people who loved the idea work with me on finding out the economical viability of the product. During the course of the class, we would not only create a product prototype but also come up with a business plan that will show the idea is worth investing in.

All-in-All, I have discovered the kind of engineer I want to be. One that looks for problems and tries to solve them. One that is not bound by perception and fear. An engineer that sees an opportunity and captures it from an entrepreneurial perspective. An Entrepreneurial Engineer.

..::GIDI::..

the exhilarating campus life

Wetin dey !

Whoever said IIT, being a small campus school, makes life much easier must have been joking! My campus life is as busy as the life of a regular business man doing a 9-to-5 job. My schedule is packed with classes and in between there are meetings to attend or social events that can be of benefit to me. I arrive on campus either 8:30 am or 9:30 am, depending on the day, and leave no earlier than 7pm everyday. One of my classes stresses to 9:05 pm. To tell the truth, I love it! I love when I am occupied with work to do and I have to set deadlines and milestone for myself. I take it as grooming myself for a well-disciplined life. If you get emails from me, you would notice that under my name and title, I have a quote that says, 'If you fail to plan, you have planned to fail'. All the activities I do on campus is me planning for the future. It may sound too far-fetched to think about but that is why it is called planning in the first place.

Last week, the organization I head, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE IIT) had its Annual Fall Picnic and it was successful. But making sure plans went accordingly was where the bulk of it all lied. I currently head an Entrepreneurship Inter Professional Research Opportunity group (EnPRO 351) and it is taking a lot of my time. Most of the deadline are not controlled by me but by an office on campus in charge of such programs. I take 6 classes, which is a full load for any student, work in the Office of Undergraduate Admission and I have a radio show with a friend on campus.

The radio show premiered last week Friday at the campus radio station. It airs on 88.9 FM WIIT every Friday from 12 to 12:30 pm. The show is called 'the Impresarios' and our aim is to find a problem that we can eventually turn into a business idea. For more info, join the facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=129819693927&ref=ts

I have done a lot on campus and I have no regrets for any. As a man, I have got to keep on moving until I fulfill everything I have ever aspired to be. Keep your heads up folks and stay strong.

Till I write next time....

..::GIDI::..

Let the semester begin!

Hey All,
Hope the summer was great for you and most of you did something worth being accountable for. My summer was different and exciting. I did not get to go back to Nigeria, not because my parents did not want me back but due to personal responsibilities I had set for myself. I had an internship with TOTAL, an oil company headquartered in Paris, France, and one of the six "supermajor" oil companies in the world but I blew the opportunity. Nevertheless, I did not give up and I still made myself useful. I worked with a friend who is a fellow student at the Illinois Institute of Technology in a construction company that was started by him. Siegel Construction was the name of the company and I work there now on a part time basis as a marketing manager. My job is to portray the company to the world the best way possible thereby attracting clients. It is not as easy as it sounds but it was worth the challenge.

I am glad to be back to school. Things are picking up fast and I have homework for all my classes already. Time does fly. I am hoping this semester is worth the effort because I am hoping to give it the best that I have got. Watch out for more exciting blogs coming this semester. Things are going to be different. Till then............

..::GIDI::..