The Soultown! Volume III: Issue 8 AUGUST 2019 | Page 31
THE SANKOFA VOW
My Dream is to be an iOS Developer
REDWOOD CITY, CA - Many years ago, I chose
a lifelong career in technology, specifically graphic
design. I crossed my legs on my bed, closed my
eyes, took a few deep breaths and talked to my
ancestors. I was convinced they left a burning torch
and I was the chosen one to keep the flame lit. I have
learned a plethora of skills, created projects, and
even published newsletters and this publication, The
Soultown International Magazine.
I can remember whispering to the universe,
asking God and the ancestors to help me land
a career where my race -- including my physical
characteristics, bone structure and skin, hair and eye
color did not matter. I was specific, also requesting
that my ethnicity -- referring to cultural factors,
nationality, ancestry, and language were non-factors.
The tech world and I were a match made in heaven.
Recently, I have decided to become an iOS
Developer. I’ve been an Apple user since the mid-
90s and combining the graphic skills, creative skills
and Apple skills; I desired a shift in the enhancement
of my tech skills. An iOS developer is responsible
for developing applications for mobile devices
powered by Apple’s iOS operating system. Ideally,
a good iOS developer is proficient with one of the
two programming languages for this platform:
Objective-C or Swift. Sounds simple, right?
Wrong.
I was not prepared for the learning curve that left
me second-guessing my abilities during the first 48
hours. My instructor is from the United Kingdom and
appears to be half my age. His advice has motivated
me to continue to strive for greatness. He suggests
that great developers make coding a habit, more a
routine in their lives.
When I read this, I closed my laptop to digest
his next piece of advice he offered: practice for one
hour a day. He is convinced this is the number 1
rule for learning anything. If you can set aside one
hour a day to focus exclusively on practicing iOS
development, you’re guaranteed to make progress.
I was already borrowing hours from my sleep
schedule to complete daily tasks, and now I was
considering learning to code that demanded a
unique amount of time just to master. How am I going
---------------------------------------------------------
I can remember whispering
to the universe, asking God
and the ancestors to help me
land a career where my race --
including my physical charac-
teristics, bone structure and
skin, hair and eye color did
not matter.
---------------------------------------------------------
to make this happen?
He responded, “It’s simple.”
• Focus exclusively on iOS development in this
hour, without distractions.
• Set a timer for an hour, and stop when the timer
goes off.
• Get back to learning iOS development for one
hour the next day.
• When you miss a day, don’t worry, and pick it up
again the next day.
My point in sharing this story is he inspired me
to continue to follow my dreams. If we are still in the
land of the living, the Universal Creator has allowed
us to do more, do something different and to do it
now.
I have a friend that wants to start his own t-shirt
design company. His ideas are really good. However,
he doesn’t have formal education or training, so he
believes he cannot switch careers now; at the age
of 40 to pursue his dream. I am sharing this story
because he has been my greatest supporter in taking
on this coding class and I’d like to return the favor.
Research shows that our brains learn new
information when we repeatedly expose ourselves
to the learning material. You could say that practice
makes permanent, so by consistently
spending time to learn iOS development, I should be
able to conquer this challenge someday, soon.
I’ll keep you posted.
The Sankofa Vow is my promise to my ancestors
to return to the Motherland and retrieve what has
been stolen from my ancestry via the trans -- Atlantic
slave trade. My forefathers intended to leave seeds
for us to return to gather, plant, cultivate and grow.
These seeds can be reclaimed and retained by
reading, watching, and discussing with our elders
and also by traveling to our native continent of Africa,
the Motherland.
Ujamaa is the 4th Kwanzaa principle defined
as Cooperative Economics in Swahili -- to build and
maintain our stores, shops, and other businesses
and to profit from them together. The spirit of Ujamaa
lives through my professional development, my work
with the youth and my community, I am committed to
keeping The Sankofa Vow.
I am Chillin’, Innovative Extraordinaire
for The Soultown International Magazine. I’d
like to thank all the iOS developers and App
Inventors for having SOUL! ,
Learn more about the Sankofa Vow at http://
www.thesoultown.com/sankofa-vow.html
Email me: [email protected].
Aug. 2019 • The Soultown International Magazine • Celebrating 2 years • Connecting Our Cultures to Our Cyber & Conscious Communities • thesoultown.com
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