I may not have gone to where I intended to go (or, why am I in Kenya)
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be
This is one of my favorite Douglas Adams quotes, and to me, it signifies that life rarely works in a straight line, but that's ok if you keep an open mind. Several people have asked me why I decided to go and work in Kenya for six months and, the truth is, I didn't exactly expect to end up in there, at least not until fairly recently. It certainly wasn't part of my 5-year plan or anything - insofar as that existed - what is, is 1) the result of repeated failures and 2) a happy intersection of an opportunity and my interests.
On point #1- if I'm to be brutally honest, part of the reason I'm here is that I failed to get into graduate school - twice. The first time, for not being able to convince my employer, and the second time for not getting into the programs I wanted. And though arguably I lost many hours on GRE preparation, writing essays, reading this and that strategy guide, or even making impromptu visits to university departments, I, fortunately, didn't lose my hunger (or perhaps desperation) for an alternative to my everyday work. So, when the chance to take a sabbatical came around I jumped at it with open arms.
Regarding point #2, over the years one of the things that has penetrated my fairly thick skull is that I do genuinely enjoy data science (e.g. I once found myself working on a Tableau dashboard at 3 am on Saturday morning in a McDonalds in the Lower East Side - and did not think this was particularly strange at the time). More specifically, I enjoy solving impactful problems using data science and as anybody who knows me closely can tell you, I've been a huge advocate of movements such as DataKind and the U-Chicago DSSG program, and other groups of that ilk (quick shameless plug here: I also co-founded the Data for Good group at Deloitte and we recently completed our first project with Digital Green's Loop program where we helped them asses the factors to maximize farmer revenue). All this to say that, when I began searching for what to do on my sabbatical, thanks to just a single Facebook post from my amazing, charming and uber-capable girlfriend, I was able to find half a dozen opportunities to use my skills in places ranging from Senegal to Myanmar.
And here's the really important point: you can do this too! If you have a few years of professional experience in consulting, marketing, CS, or whatever and you're willing to lend your skills for a bit, there are probably a bunch of groups that could employ your niche of skills. And yes, I realize that it's not always straightforward and that many things have to line up - but you can't wait forever for the perfect moment. As a person I’m fond of said, think about how you would look back on this opportunity when you’re well into your years - would you regret having taken the chance even if it didn’t go as planned? Last point, in case you think you think going to a developing market would be a waste of your hard-earned talent, think again, there are startups doing things here that would make even silicon-valley types blush: from end-to-end value chain farming using mobile technology to blood and vaccine delivery using drones, and everything in between (better than pizza delivery app IMO).
So what am I getting at:
Life's not a straight line - but that's ok if you're willing to keep your mind open
If you have a few years of experience, you too can join a developing market firm and make an impact - and you don't wait forever for the perfect moment
There are a lot of cutting-edge things happening in East Africa and elsewhere - don't be fooled by the images of crumbling infrastructure or whatever else. If anything, these challenges are driving the need for creative solutions.
So, why did I end up in Kenya - because I think that's where I needed to be.
#career #kenya #SocialImpact
