Everyone has experienced life-changing events. Mine happened many years ago, when I failed an interview for admission at Munteme Technical College (TECO), one of the top two leading carpentry, mechanics, and masonry colleges in the Hoima district at the time. That was way back early 1990s when I had just completed primary seven. I was considered too small for rigorous and physical training at TECO.
Disappointed, and dejected, I went to my grandfather to deliver the bad news. With my limited exposure, I considered TECO as the only way to success, and missing admission was like being pierced with a needle in your thumbnail. It was too much to take. The most successful people in our village, Munteme, had gone through TECO. These were operating their workshops and were living decent lives. At the time, TECO had a scheme whereby all successful finalists received start-up kits. This was like seed capital. It was a great business approach. Graduates started working right away and paid for the cost of the kit within the first 3 years after graduation. Failing to make it to TECO was a big setback. So, I thought.
The words of my grandpa Atanansi Komunjara changed my life. He said, “I don’t think TECO is good for you. There is a place called Makerere University where the best people get trained. The top leaders at the district level like the chief administrative officer or a district education officer, that is the place they were trained. You need to study at that place to succeed. However, to qualify for admission at Makerere University, you must go through Munteme Fatima College.”
The higher you go in education, the more you expand your exposure, networks, and knowledge.
Your ambition or vision or aspiration is limited by what you know, or you have been exposed to, and or what those around you know. If your knowledge is limited, your vision or dream will be limited.
For that reason, there is no such thing as a vision cast in stone. Your vision should change with the times. It should change as your horizons in terms of exposure, knowledge, and understand change.
Do not spend a lot of time crafting a vision, because you think once set, it cannot be changed. No. Your vision should change depending on the context and perspectives at the time. With more information and knowledge, go ahead and adjust your vision.
Before my grandfather spoke to me, my vision was to “graduate from TECO.” That is all I knew. I never knew about Makerere University.
However, after that life-changing talk with grandpa, my vision changed to “graduate from Makerere University.” Even then, it was limited. I wanted to visit Kampala for the first time. Go to Makerere University but I did not know what to do next with my acquired knowledge. While at Makerere, I realized the world is far bigger than I had been made to believe. I got to know about European Universities, American Universities and of course Asia. I got to know about getting a government job or starting your own business.
Now I know, your vision should be flexible. Change it with the times. Align it to your context (the current conditions) and perspective (what is happening around you).
What is your vision?
Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2020. All rights reserved.
