Sofiat Olaosebikan
Sofiat Olaosebikan is a computer science PhD student, with background in Pure and Applied Mathematics. Her journey from being a major in Mathematics to becoming a researcher in CS is fueled by her passion for problem solving and programming. Sofiat Olaosebikan’s story proves that success is not about avoiding failure; it is about what you do after facing it.
Quotes
[edit]- "I am currently a Lecturer in Algorithms and Complexity, based at the School of Computing Science, University of Glasgow. My job involves a lot of stuff; carrying out high-quality research (publications, applying for grants, etc.), teaching, student advising, and supervision of undergraduate and masters students."
- "Sports! I enjoy weightlifting, boxing, high-intensity training and pilates. I am an active member of the University of Glasgow gym. However, since the global pandemic started, I have resorted to walking! I walked half a million steps in June 2020 (roughly 13km daily in 18,000 steps). Since I started my new job in August 2020, I have settled for an average of 10,000 daily steps."
- " I used to fail Mathematics a lot! I didn’t have a private tutor or anything like that! I just went through ordinary school like anyone else. Half-way through my secondary school, the interest just kicked in. I call it a gift from God because that’s the only explanation I have. I didn’t become very good at Mathematics because of how the teacher taught me then, or as a result of a career activity I attended, no! It just happened. "
- "When I started at the university, my father bought me a laptop which re-ignited my passion for computing. You will notice I keep saying “my father” a lot. He has been very instrumental in my journey. There is no way I would talk about my academic journey without mentioning him. He is at the center of everything. Back then, I was just typing projects for people in their final year and making money with the laptop. I didn’t know much about using it for anything else. I attempted to take courses from the Computing Science department but I didn’t like the way things were taught there and how students were being threatened about the complexity of those courses.
- "For me, it was all about identifying my passion and mixing with the right crowd. The following are some tips you might find useful.
-Identify your passion: what subject/topic/question keeps you awake at night? -Talk to people. Ramble. Talk more until you are fully aware of your identity and the key skills you want to spend the rest of your life developing/harnessing -Put words down on paper. Write. Write. Write. It can be private, you don’t have to share it. -Go out and seek people who are successful in these areas that you have identified. Stalk them. Be bold. Be fearless. Learn from them and their experiences. Trust me, people love to help other people succeed. -Seek challenges. Expand your comfort zone. If it doesn’t stretch you, it’s probably not worth it. -Surround yourself with people (physically and socially) that will bring out the greatness in you. -You have to put in the work. Invest in yourself! Work Hard! Persevere! -Don’t be afraid of failing, for not trying at all is failure. After all, when something does not work out your way, it is probably God’s way of telling you it’s not the best option for you. -Above all, be kind to yourself! "
