Degrees, Dining, and Departing

IT (Year 4 Part B) was when I caught a whiff of it.

The faint scent of the real world.

The end of an era.

A five-course meal had finally reached the entrée.

What a journey it had been.

But then again, I’d only caught a whiff… right?

Let’s go back to the beginning.

First Course: Hors d’oeuvres

100 level was almost like SS4—or SS4 Pro for those who had the PDS experience.

Just a small bite.

A taste of freedom.

A taste of new faces.

A taste of different worlds and perspectives from people of different cultures and backgrounds.

Back then (damn… it’s now “back then” 😂), we had to offer everything from MEE 101 (my least favourite course) to PHY 101 (ohh, you thought… 😂😂).

It was a beautiful time.

Friends were made.

Priorities were assigned.

Bonds were built.

I even almost had a babe in my first year 😂😂.

Crazy, right?

At the time, university felt endless.

Graduation was something that happened to other people—something that was still half a decade away.

Second Course: Appetizer

Then came specialization.

Segmentation.

Departmental courses that gently informed us that we were not all heading in the same direction.

Career choices started becoming real.

Cliques began to form.

A little clarity started to emerge.

Reality sat me down here.

You see, while I had a huge appetite, I soon realized I could only stomach a limited number of dishes if I didn’t want to throw everything up.

We weren’t there yet, but we were being prepared.

Prepared for the time of our lives.

Prepared for the chapters ahead.

Prepared for those legendary 7 a.m. classes that seemed specifically designed to prove that this journey was not for the weak.

A level of discipline that once felt unnecessary slowly became mandatory.

At the time, it felt excessive.

Looking back now, I understand why.

Third Course: Salad

People get confused whenever I say that 300 level was both the best and worst chapter of my time in FUTA.

But that’s exactly what it was.

And honestly?

I really hate salad.

But they say it’s nutritious 🥲.

There are lessons from that chapter that completely changed the trajectory of my life.

Ọmọ, I won’t be getting into details here.

But 300 level somehow turned a programmer into a poet 😂😂.

If you know, you know.

And if you don’t…

Well, you’re about to find out someday that life has a funny way of teaching lessons through experiences you never signed up for.

Some of those lessons hurt.

Some healed.

Some did both.

Fourth Course: Entrée

Now we’re back to the beginning.

The thing that had been on our minds from almost the very start:

IT.

From the first semester, IT was all anyone talked about.

People were reaching out to organizations.

Searching for opportunities.

Looking for paid internships.

Trying to position themselves for that moment when the classroom would temporarily give way to the real world.

And then it happened.

And damn…

IT was one hell of an experience.

For many of us, it was our first real taste of life outside the university walls.

The theories became practical.

The lectures became reality.

The future stopped being something distant and started feeling very close.

But you see…

Everything that has a beginning has an end.

And somewhere during IT, many of us got our first glimpse of what came next.

The real world was no longer an abstract idea discussed in classrooms and group chats.

It had a scent.

And for the first time, we had caught a whiff of it.

Fifth Course: Dessert

After exploring the world, we came back to give testimonies.

And almost everyone had changed.

Some found clarity.

Some found direction.

Some found both.

Then came the presentations.

The contributions (otherwise known as severe billings).

The final-year project.

The deadlines.

The pressure.

And strangely enough, the desire to hold on to even the smallest moments.

Take that long stroll to the school farm.

Sit a little longer with your friends.

Visit that place on campus you always said you would.

Tell your crush how you feel.

Because suddenly, the clock sounds louder.

This was the beginning of the end.

The realization that within a few months, you would see some faces for the last time.

The realization that even if you returned to this school years later, it would never again be as an undergraduate.

An era was ending.

And another was beginning.

The founders and entrepreneurs had already started building their ventures.

Freelancers were aggressively upskilling.

Others were polishing their CVs and LinkedIn profiles, preparing for the job market.

Funny, isn’t it?

We arrived curious and expectant.

Now we leave experienced and changed.

Maybe not with all the answers.

But certainly with better questions.

Closing

To quote Robert Jordan:

“Ends and beginnings—there are no such things. There are only beginnings.”

So as you prepare for this new beginning, make sure you soak up enough from the previous one.

And to those still very much in the journey, still deep within the system: make the best of it.

The truth is, campus comes and goes faster than you think.

One minute you’re taking your first bite.

The next, you’re wondering where the meal went.

Till next time.